NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Fergana Valley Steppe Tortoise [bogdanovi]
Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), also commonly known as the Afghan tortoise, the steppe tortoise, the Russian tortoise (mainly in the pet trade), Horsfield's tortoise, the four-clawed tortoise, the four-toed tortoise, the Russian steppe tortoise, the Soviet tortoise, is a threatened species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia from the Caspian Sea south through Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and east across Kazakhstan to Xinjiang, China. Human activities in its native habitat contribute to its threatened status.
Two Testudo horsfieldii tortoises were the first Earth inhabitants to travel to and circle the Moon, on Zond 5 in September 1968.
Wikipedia contributors, Central Asian tortoise; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T13:23:17.354156+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844
- Name authority
- Gray, 1844
- Common name
- Fergana Valley Steppe Tortoise [bogdanovi]
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Testudinidae
- Genus
- Testudo
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyTestudinoidea
- familyTestudinidae
- genusTestudo
- speciesTestudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Testudo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Testudo kleinmanni Lortet, 1883 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mediterranean Spur-thighed TortoiseTestudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dwarf marginated tortoise (weissingeri)Testudo marginata Schoepff, 1792 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Homopus burnesii Blyth, 1854 Blyth, 1854 | synonym |
| Testudo baluchiorum Annandale, 1906 Annandale, 1906 | synonym |
| Agrionemys horsfieldi kazachstanica Chkhikvadze, 1988 Chkhikvadze, 1988 | synonym |
| Agrionemys kazachstanica kuznetzovi Chkhikvadze, Ataev, Shammakov & Zatoka, 2009 Chkhikvadze, Ataev, Shammakov & Zatoka, 2009 | synonym |
| Agrionemys horsfieldi rustamovi Chkhikvadze et al., 1990 Chkhikvadze et al., 1990 | synonym |
| Agrionemys bogdanovi Chkhikvadze, 2008 Chkhikvadze, 2008 | synonym |
| Agrionemys kazachstanica terbishi Chkhikvadze, 2009 Chkhikvadze, 2009 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Testudo&species=horsfieldii Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:55JSY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.