TESTUDINIDAE

Krysko, Kenneth L., Burgess, Joseph P., Rochford, Michael R., Gillette, Christopher R., Cueva, Daniel, Enge, Kevin M., Somma, Louis A., Stabile, Jennifer L., Smith, Dustin C., Wasilewski, Joseph A., Kieckhefer Iii, Guy N., Granatosky, Michael C. & Nielsen, Stuart V., 2011, 3028, Zootaxa 3028, pp. 1-64 : 27-28

TESTUDINIDAE

The Red-footed Tortoise, Chelonoidis carbonaria ( Spix 1824) , is indigenous to southern Central America, and South America east of the Andes Mountains, south to northern Argentina, with non-indigenous populations in Trinidad and a variety of Caribbean Islands, and it has been introduced to California ( Pritchard & Trebbau 1984; Bonin et al. 2006; Kraus 2009). Meshaka et al. (2004) claimed that C. carbonaria has been found in a tropical hardwood hammock near Cutler Bay, Miami-Dade County, since the 1980s, but they did not provide a specific locality or voucher. On 15 July 2007 at 1600 h, CRG collected a C. carbonaria (photographic voucher UF 153958; MorphoBank M88545 ; Fig. 21) on Jones Road, 0.13 km north of State Road 518, Melbourne, Brevard County (28.12171 o N, - 80.70868 o W). On 10 April 2008, Kristina Serbesoff-King photographed (photographic voucher UF 152773), but did not remove, a C. carbonaria at the Seacrest Scrub Natural Area, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County (26.49625 o N, - 80.06911 o W). On 25 October 2009, William Johnson collected a C. carbonaria (photographic voucher UF 156970) at 415 Forest Road, Mount Dora, Lake County (28.81471 o N, - 81.6484 o W). On 27 July 2010, Jake Edwards collected a male C. carbonaria (21.5 cm CL; photographic voucher UF 158808) on SW 42 nd Court, 0.09 km west of SW 62 nd Avenue, Davie, Broward County (26.06909 o N, - 80.22929 o W). This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from enclosures (released at Seacrest Scrub Natural Area). These represent the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.

The African Spurred Tortoise, Geochelone sulcata ( Miller 1779) , is indigenous to isolated, relictual colonies scattered across sub-Saharan western, central, and eastern Africa ( Bonin et al. 2006), and it has been introduced to United Arab Emirates ( Soorae et al. 2010) and California ( Lemm 2006). This species has been found in Hillsborough and Sarasota counties (George L. Heinrich personal communication), but no vouchers exist for these areas. Numerous G. sulcata have been removed from the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County. In 2002, G.L. Heinrich (personal communication) collected and kept in captivity, but did not voucher, an adult female G. sulcata from Lake Seminole Park, Seminole, Pinellas County (30.791867 o N, - 85.679609 o W), which was estimated to have a mass of 27 kg in 2006. In February 2007, an adult male G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 164360; MorphoBank M88546 ; Fig. 22) was observed in a natural area during a prescribed fire and on 23 April 2007 it was photographed by JPB and collected near Dunny Lane and Fulford Road, Pumpkin Hill State Park, Duval County (30.47405 o N, - 81.5019 o W). On 18 September 2007, Monty Kowtiz collected a G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 151752) in Bonifay, Holmes County (30.79186 o N, - 85.6796 o W). On 21 July 2008, Arnold Brunell collected an adult (41.2 kg) male G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 153511) at 1329 Webster Street, Orlando, Orange County (28.58692 o N, - 81.39898 o W). On 28 August 2008, Fred Robinette and Kelly Bunting collected an adult (18.1 kg) male G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 153514) near Panama City at 9124 Kingswood Road, Southport, Bay County (30.31536 o N, - 85.61382 o W). There have been at least three other G. sulcata captured, but not vouchered, in the Panama City area (John G. Himes personal communication). On 3 November 2008, Julian Proctor collected G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 153890) on Emporia Road, 0.8 km west of US 17, Pierson, Volusia County (29.20475 o N, - 81.45464 o W). On 1 December 2008 at 1700 h, Steve Brinkley collected an adult G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 154195) at County Road 74 and Bronco Road, Charlotte County (26.94663 o N, - 81.88685 o W). On 20 January 2009, Kevin Jackson collected a G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 154409) at 1988 Raymond Lane, Sneads, Jackson County (30.70779 o N, - 84.9409 o W). On 23 June 2009, Amanda Sigman provided us with photographs of a juvenile G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 155687) found at 3602 Shore Drive, St. Augustine, St. Johns County (29.83348 o N, - 81.30728 o W). On 4 November 2009, Cliff Morris collected an adult (53.3 cm CL) G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 156972) at 5852 South Rovan Point, Lecanto, Citrus County (28.778 o N, - 82.469 o W). On 12 December 2009 at 1709 h, MRR and CRG found a dead G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 157355), likely killed on the nearby service road, just inside the fence of Kissimmee Prairie State Park, NW 322 nd Street, 0.84 km east of 192 nd Avenue, Okeechobee County (27.53884 o N, - 81.01422 o W). On 18 February 2010, Nicole Ranalli provided us with photographs of an adult (40 cm CL) G. sulcata (photographic voucher UF 157312) collected by forestry personnel 0.66 km south of Lake Andrea Road and Sulternfuss Road, Walk-in-the-Water Wildlife Management Area, Lake Wales Ridge State Forest, Polk County (27.79716 o N, - 81.47461 o W). Although there is currently no evidence of reproduction (stage 3), the high propagule pressure (i.e., number of individual tortoises being found in the wild), and the superficial resemblance to the indigenous Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus (making identification of species difficult for the average observer), should be a major concern. This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from enclosures (release at Kissimmee Prairie State Park and Lake Wales Ridge State Forest). These represent the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.

The Leopard Tortoise, Stigmochelys pardalis ( Bell 1828) , is indigenous to eastern and southern Africa, from central Sudan southward though South Africa and Namibia ( Spawls et al. 2002; Bonin et al. 2006; Alexander & Marais 2007), and it has been introduced to California, USA, and non-indigenous portions of South Africa ( Lemm 2006; Kraus 2009). On 27 May 2009, Kenneth N. Johnson collected a S. pardalis (photographic voucher UF 155440; MorphoBank M88549; Fig. 23) at 11822 152 nd Street North, Jupiter, Palm Beach County (26.9001 o N, - 80.2224 o W). This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from an enclosure. This represents the first known voucher for this species in Florida.

Horsfield’s Tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii ( Gray 1844) , is indigenous to Asia from extreme western China and the Caspian Sea in southern Russia, south through Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan to the northern and western Baluchistan region ( Bonin et al. 2006; Lee & Smith 2010), and it has been introduced to Maryland and North Carolina, USA, and Austria ( Kraus 2009; Lee & Smith 2010). On 26 July 2005, a T. horsfieldii (photographic voucher UF 159551) was collected at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade County (25.673667 o N, - 80.1575 o W) (see Krysko et al. 2010a for original record without voucher), and donated to the Miami Museum of Science. On 4 April 2008, Jason R. Bourque collected a (144.8 mm CL) female T. horsfieldii (UF 152758; MorphoBank M88568 ; Fig. 24) along railroad tracks 0.5 km west of County Road 491, Brooksville, Hernando County (28.62893 o N, - 82.45204 o W). On 27 May 2009, Ryan Roehm collected a T. horsfieldii (photographic voucher UF 155439) at 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, Alachua County (29.61618 o N, - 82.33632 o W). This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from enclosures. These represent the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.