Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is a species of tortoise. Two subspecies are known: the western Hermann's tortoise (T. h. hermanni ) and the eastern Hermann's tortoise (T. h. boettgeri ). Sometimes mentioned as a subspecies, T. h. peleponnesica is not yet confirmed to be genetically different from T. h. boettgeri. Etymology The specific epithet, hermanni, honors French naturalist Johann Hermann. The subspecific name, boettgeri, honors German herpetologist Oskar Boettger. Geographic range Testudo hermanni can be found throughout southern Europe. The western population (T. h. hermanni) is found in eastern Spain, southern France, the Balearic islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, southern and central Italy (Tuscany). The eastern population (T. h. boettgeri ) is found in Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey and Greece, while T. h. hercegovinensis populates the coasts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro. The oldest known evidence for T. hermanni on Sardinia is a fossil from the early Pleistocene of Monte Tuttavista. However, molecular evidence suggests extant populations of both this species and Emys orbicularis on Sardinia were actually introduced in recent times. Description and systematics Hermann's tortoises are small to medium-sized tortoises from southern Europe. Young animals and some adults have attractive black and yellow-patterned carapaces, although the brightness may fade with age to a less distinct gray, straw, or yellow coloration. They have slightly hooked upper jaws and, like other tortoises, possess no teeth, just strong, horny beaks. Their scaly limbs are greyish to brown, with some yellow markings, and their tails bear a spur (a horny spike) at the tip. Adult males have particularly long and thick tails, and well-developed spurs, distinguishing them from females. The eastern subspecies T. h. boettgeri is much larger than the western T. h. hermanni, reaching sizes up to in length. A specimen of this size may weigh . T. h. hermanni rarely grows larger than . Some adult specimens are as small as . In 2006, Hermann's tortoise was suggested to be moved to the genus Eurotestudo and to bring the subspecies to the rank of species (Eurotestudo hermanni and Eurotestudo boettgeri). Though some factors indicate this might be correct, the data at hand are not unequivocally in support and the relationships between Hermann's and the Russian tortoise among each other and to the other species placed in Testudo are not robustly determined. Hence, it seems doubtful that the new genus will be accepted for now. The