Testudo horsfieldii (Gray 1844)

Martin, Thomas Edward, Guillemin, Mathieu, Nivet-Mazerolles, Valentin, Landsmann, Cecile, Dubos, Jerome, Eudeline, Rémy, Stroud Abstract. - The, James T., Data, Uchkuduk. & Further, Navoi., 2017, The herpetofauna of central Uzbekistan, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 140) 11 (1), pp. 93-107 : 96

Russian Tortoise: Testudo horsfieldii (Gray 1844) (Tes- tudinidae) ( Plate 7)

The only Chelonian species found in our study area, T. horsfieldii is restricted to Central Asia and Iran, and is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN (2016). The species is abundant in the steppe habitats of our study area, with multiple individuals typically being seen every day in this habitat from between early March when they emerge from hibernation to mid-June, when their hibernation resumes ( Lagarde et al. 2003). It was by a large margin the most frequently encountered herpetofaunal species during the course of our fieldwork. The species has been previously mapped as occurring in central Uzbekistan ( Bannikov 1971; Sindaco and Jeremcenko 2008; Bird- Life International 2016a ‒d) although the atlas map in Sindaco and Jeremcenko (2008) does not note its presence in the Uchkuduk area, where our records indicate the species to occur.