 The even more senior species synonym of "californiana" ("californian" – Quoy & Gaimard, 1824a) is considered a "nomen oblitum" ("forgotten name").Previously, the Galápagos tortoise was considered to belong to the genus "Geochelone", known as 'typical tortoises' or 'terrestrial turtles'.In the 1990s, subgenus "Chelonoidis" was elevated to generic status based on phylogenetic evidence which grouped the South American members of "Geochelone" into an independent clade (branch of the tree of life).