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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Madagascan Flat-tailed Tortoise

Pyxis planicauda (Grandidier, 1867)

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.

A photograph of the Flat-tailed Tortoiseen (Pyxis planicauda en ). Photo taken at the Philadelphia Zoo. Camera and Exposure Details:Camera: Nikon Coolpix 8700Lens: Nikon Zoom Nikkor ED 8.9-71.2mm 1:2.8-4.2Exposure: 71.2mm (280mm in 35mm equivalent) f/4.7 @ 1/1.8 s. (50 ISO)

A photograph of the Flat-tailed Tortoiseen (Pyxis planicauda en ). Photo taken at the Philadelphia Zoo. Camera and Exposure Details:Camera: Nikon Coolpix 8700Lens: Nikon Zoom Nikkor ED 8.9-71.2mm 1:2.8-4.2Exposure: 71.2mm (280mm in 35mm equivalent) f/4.7 @ 1/1.8 s. (50 ISO)

Photo by Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Image source

Provider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.

Open encyclopedia reference

The flat-backed spider tortoise (Pyxis planicauda), more commonly known as the flat-tailed tortoise, and Madagascan flat-tailed tortoise, is a tortoise that belongs to the family Testudinidae. The various common names for this small tortoise usually refer to the noticeably flattened nature of its oblong upper-shell or its tail.

The flat-backed spider tortoise is endemic to the west coast of Madagascar, between the Monrondava and Tsiribihina rivers. Due to the specifications of its habitat, the flat-backed spider tortoise is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Wikipedia contributors, Flat-backed spider tortoise; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:19:53.138481+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Pyxis planicauda (Grandidier, 1867)
Name authority
(Grandidier, 1867)
Common name
Madagascan Flat-tailed Tortoise
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Testudines
Family
Testudinidae
Genus
Pyxis
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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
  9. orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
  10. suborderCryptodira
  11. superfamilyTestudinoidea
  12. familyTestudinidae
  13. genusPyxis
  14. speciesPyxis planicauda (Grandidier, 1867)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Pyxis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Madagascan Spider TortoisePyxis arachnoides Bell, 1827TestudinidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied

Browse 37 records assigned to Testudinidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Testudo planicauda Grandidier, 1867 Grandidier, 1867synonym
Testudo morondavaensis Vuillemin, 1972 Vuillemin, 1972synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

SW Madagascar (vicinity of Morondava)

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.

  1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pyxis&species=planicauda 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.

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:6WPX6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.