NEW GALAPAGOS GIANT TORTOISE TAXA IDENTIFIED

As the Galapagos Conservation Trust celebrates 170 years since Charles Darwin visited Galapagos, still new discoveries of species diversity are being made in the islands.

In a recent report in Biology Letters published by the Royal Society of London, researchers have found that the population of Galapagos giant tortoises (Geochelone elephantopus spp.) on Santa Cruz is actually three taxa, not one as originally thought. The three new distinct lineages are yet to be officially named.

Since Darwin's time, the giant tortoises have been classified predominantly by visible characteristics such as the shape of their shell, however these scientists used DNA analysis techniques to differentiate between the tortoises.

There may only be around 100 individual tortoises in each of the new taxa. There are thought to be between 2000 and 4000 tortoises on Santa Cruz, the most populated island in Galapagos.

Researchers emphasised the importance of accurate taxonomy for the conservation of endangered species, a concern particularly on this island with the giant tortoise habitat under threat from a rapidly growing human population.

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