Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844

Jablonski, Daniel, Regan, John M., Holzheuser, Chace, Farooqi, Javeed, Basit, Abdul & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2019, Additional data to the herpetofauna of Afghanistan, Herpetozoa 32, pp. 177-193 : 177

Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844

Distribution in Afghanistan.

This tortoise is probably distributed throughout Afghanistan except the central massif of Hindu Kush and its valleys ( Wagner et al. 2016 and see remarks therein for additional localities with an unclear position; Fig. 2 ). It is currently known from provinces of Balkh, Farah, Ghazni, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kunduz and Nimroz.

Our records

( Fig. 2 ). 1 - Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan (27 October 2011), one adult individual ( Fig. 4B ) recorded in the city; 2 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul (14 March 2008), two adult individuals in semi-desert area of the Base; 3 - Waza Kwah, Paktika (6 December 2008), five adult individuals in arid habitat near a small village ( Fig. 10D ).

Remarks.

All our records represent new localities and first species observations for the respective provinces. Localities 2 and 3 represent an important range extension in the country, connecting known species distributions in Afghanistan and Pakistan ( Khan 2006). Wagner et al. (2016) recognises T. h. horsfieldii in Afghanistan. However, Fritz et al. (2009) mentioned the possible occurrence of another mitochondrial clade that could represent a different subspecies. We have noticed cases in Kabul and Kandahar where tortoises were stored by local traders for the Chinese food market. Therefore, conservation programmes should be prepared for this endangered tortoise.

Figures

Figure 2. Updated herpetofaunistic records from Afghanistan (white dots: data of Buchroithner, 1981; Wagner et al. 2016; Jablonski et al. 2019; red dots: data of this study). Bufotes viridis complex (including species B. oblongus, B. baturae / pseudoraddei, B. turanensis and B. zugmayeri presented by Wagner et al. 2016): 1 - Dehdadi, Balkh; 2 - Nahr Shahi, Balkh; 3 - Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 4 - Arga Queshlaq, Badakhshan; 5 - Broghil Pass, Badakhshan; 6 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; 7 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis: Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Testudo horsfieldii: 1 - Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan; 2 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 3 - Waza Kwah, Paktika. Phrynocephalus mystaceus: Shor Tepah, Balkh. Trapelus agilis: 1 - Camp Mike Spann Chapel, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 2 - Lashkargah, Helmand; 3 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 4 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 5 - Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan. Trapelus megalonyx: 1 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 2 - Gardez, Gardez Base, Paktia.

Figure 4. Observed species of Dicroglossidae, Testudinidae and Agamidae families from Afghanistan: A - adult individuals of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; B - adult individual of Testudo horsfieldii from Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan; C - adult individual of Phrynocephalus mystaceus from Shor Tepah, Balkh; D - juvenile individual of Trapelus agilis from Lashkargah, Helmand; E - adult male of T. agilis from Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; F, G - adult and subadult males of T. agilis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; H - adult male of T. aff. megalonyx from Gardez Base, Gardez, Paktia; I - adult individual of T. aff. megalonyx from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.

Figure 10. View on selected localities from Afghanistan that were visited: A - habitat of Bufotes viridis complex and Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; B - stony, semi-desert habitat of Eremias aff. nigrocellata from Kaldar, Balkh; C - semi-desert habitat of Trapelus agilis from Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan; D - vicinity of small village Waza Kwah, Paktika as habitat of Testudo horsfieldii; E - desert habitat of Cyrtopodion agamuroides complex from Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand; F - burrows in semi-desert habitat that were used by Eremias persica as a shelter, Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.