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Adultmaleof theSri Lanka form.Photo:C.
Fritz,www.reptilia24.com
Twoyoung femalesof the formofGeocheloneelegans from southern India.
Photo:ChristophFritz,www.reptilia24.com
intosmallerunits,butatpresentthemajorityof
professional herpetologists are of the latter
viewandassign the two species
elegans
and
platynota
to
Geochelone
,andnotto
Testudo
.
Threevariants
Thespecies
Geocheloneelegans
occursinthree
populations thatare readily toldapartbyeye.
Theyarealsowell separatedgeographically–
possibly inpartduetohuman influence inhi-
storical times - andunable tomix.The form
fromwestern IndiaandPakistanhasthefinest
raypatternof themall; itgrows to25-35cm
longand isonlyvery rarelyseen inthehobby.
Theformmostfrequentlykeptincaptivitylives
inthesouthofthe Indiansubcontinent.Inthis
casemalesgrow toonly14-17cm long,while
femalesattain18-24,usuallyaround20cm.The
pattern isrelativelyextensive.Andfinallythere
isthevariantfromtheislandofSriLanka,which
cangrowcomparativelylarge(occasionalspe-
cimensup toamaximumof 38cm,butwith
25-30 cmbeing thenorm) andwhichhas a
veryattractive fine-rayedpattern.As already
mentioned,theformfromsouthernIndiaisthe
mostpopular in thehobby, inpartbecause it
remainsmanageablysmall.
A tropical species
It is importantnottoforgettheprovenanceof
the IndianStarTortoise.Theclimate it enjoys
inthewild isveryhot.So incaptivity it likewise
requiresadaytime temperatureof 26-32 °C,
20-25 °Catnight,witha relativehumidityof
70-80%.Aheat lampandagoodUV lampare
likewise indispensable.At our latitudes out-
doormaintenance is advisableandpossible
only in theheightof summer,andeven then
ahotbedorsmallgreenhouseshouldbeavai-
lableasarefugeondayswhentheweather is
bad.The tortoisesshouldbe taken indoors in
theeventof lengthyperiodsofbadweather.
Anexcellentspecies for the terrarium
Butherein liesoneof theadvantagesof this
species, which is not only beautiful but re-
mains small: it isexceptionallywell suited to
