Kinixys


Kinixys is a genus of turtles in the family Testudinidae. The genus was erected by Thomas Bell in 1827. The species in the genus Kinixys are native to Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar and commonly known as hinged tortoises or hinge-back tortoises.
Most of the Kinixys species are omnivores. They feed mainly on a wide range of different leaves, weeds, roots, flowers and fruits. However, they also eat worms, insects and other small invertebrates.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Kinixys:
[image: Genus Kinixys (english).jpg |thumb|Three species of Kinixys: K. nogueyi, K. erosa, K. homeana. (Illustration G. Aeschimann).]
ImageSpeciesCommon name
Kinixys belliana
Bell's hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys erosa
forest hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys homeana
Bell, 1827		Home's hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys lobatsiana
Lobatse hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys natalensis
Hewitt (herpetologist)|Hewitt], 1935		Natal hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys nogueyi
Hewitt, 1935		Western hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys spekii
Gray, 1863		Speke's hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys zombensis
Hewitt, 1931		Eastern hinge-back tortoise

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Kinixys.

Distribution and habitat

The several species of the genus Kinxys are found across much of tropical and sub-tropical sub-Saharan Africa, ranging as far south as KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and as far north as the fringes of the Sahel and Sahara. However, individuals are often very scarce within this range, and several species are threatened.
Though the species' wide geographic ranges overlap considerably, they are separated from each other by favouring different habitats within this range. Some species favour open savannah or grasslands, others favour rainforest.

Parasites

Species of tortoises in the genus Kinixys play host to a number of ectoparasites and endoparasites. A survey of mixed captive K. spekii and K. belliana in Zimbabwe showed that the following parasites were known to infest/infect this species. This had been observed and published by others too. However some of the tiny roundworms are very likely new species and as yet remain undescribed.
  • Ticks
  • Roundworms – Angusticium, Atractis and ''Tachygontria''