Testudo hellenica
Testudo hellenica is an extinct genus of tortoise of the genus "Testudo" from the Miocene (Vallesian) Nea Messimvria Formation (Zone MN 10) of Greece. "T. hellenica" is the earliest known crown-"Testudo" from Greece (according to Garcia "et al.", 2020), since the next oldest "Testudo" species, "T. marmorum", from Greece come from the Turolian (7.3-7.2 ma) Pikermi beds. "T. hellenica" is important for understanding the radiation of the evolutionary history of the lineage of the "Testudo" genus, pushing it back from 7 Ma (2017) and 8 Ma (2018) to 9.1-9 Ma (2020). Discovery and naming. The holotype , a carapace with a preserved plastron, was discovered in the Ravin de la Pluie, Axios Valley from fossil sediments ranging from 9.149-9.046 Ma, although the formation may be as old as 11.608 Ma and as recent as 8.7 Ma. In order to observe the detail of the carapace, the specimen was completely prepared. The phylogeny of "T. hellenica" was studied in 2016, although it was unnamed at the time. The species "Testudo hellenica" was named in 2020. The holotype, LGPUT RPI-216, preserves a carapace, plastron and several bones underneath, including a fused humerus and scapula. Description. The carapace is  approximately long, meaning that when fully grown, it would have been around long. The rounded anterior lobe is long, while the posterior lobe is long. The bridge between the two lobes is long. Since the domed pygal plate curves inwards, this indicates that the holotype individual was a male. "Testudo hellenica" shares with "Eurotestudo", "T. marginata" and "T. marmorum" an elongated shell, although the plastron of the holotype of "T. marmorum" is different to that of "T. hellenica".