• Chelydera Shea, G., Thomson, S. & Georges, A. 2020. The identity of Chelodina oblonga Gray 1841 (Testudines: Chelidae) reassessed. Zootaxa 4779(3): 419-437 [430].

  Type species:

   Chelodina parkeri Rhodin & Mittermeier, 1976 by original designation.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA

NSW, Qld, SA, Vic: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Riverina (RIV), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Victorian Midlands (VM) ; NT, Qld, WA: Central Arnhem (CA), Victoria Bonaparte (VB) ; NT, WA: Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Central Kimberley (CK), Northern Kimberley (NK) ; Qld: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Pine Creek (PCK), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW)

Other Regions

Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

History of changes

• Chelodina (Macrochelodina) burrungandjii Thomson, S., Kennett, R. & Georges, A. 2000. A new species of long-necked turtle (Testudines: Chelidae) from the Arnhem Land Plateau, Northern Territory, Australia. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3(4): 675-685.

  Type data:

   Holotype NTM 16010, Koolpin Gorge, South Alligator River, Northern Territory [13°28'S, 132°38'E].
• Macrochelodina walloyarrina McCord, W.P. & Ouni, M.J. 2007. A new genus of Australian longneck turtle (Testudines: Chelidae) and a new species of Macrochelodina from the Kimberley region of Western Australia (Australia). Reptilia 31: 56-64.

  Type data:

   Holotype WAM R164345, Fitzroy River, Fitzroy River Crossing, Western Australia.

Introduction

Kimberley populations are regarded by some as distinctive (Cann 1998; Thomson et al. 2000; McCord & Ouni 2007; Cann 2008), but there is little published data or analysis to support this, and resolution of this is complicated by issues of hybridisation and introgression. Hybridises with Chelodina rugosa yielding fertile offspring where they come into contact, typically in the escarpment country bordering the sandstone tablelands and the lowlands (Georges et al. 2002). Artner (2008) distinguishes the Arnhem Land and Kimberley forms as subspecies Chelodina burrangandjii burrangandjii and Chelodina burrungandjii walloyarrina respectively, a position shared by Cann & Sadlier (2017). Georges & Thomson (2010) recognise the validity of C. burrangandjii as distinct species, with C. walloyarrina as synonym, while van Dijk et al. (2014) and Rhodin et al. (2017) list C. walloyarrina as distinct species but recognise its validity can be controversial until further analyses are carried out with a much larger sample.

We follow the Australian Society of Herpetologists in treating C. walloyarrina as a junior synonym of C. burrangandjii until more comprehensive work can be conducted to properly establish relationships.

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

NT, WA: Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Central Arnhem (CA), Central Kimberley (CK), Northern Kimberley (NK), Victoria Bonaparte (VB)

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Carnivorous, lake, permanent pond.

General References

Artner, H. 2008. The world's extant turtles, Part 1. Emys 15: 4-32

Cann, J. 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Sydney & Singapore : John Cann & Beaumont Publishing 292 pp.

Cann, J. 2008. Wild Australia Guide. Freshwater Turtles. Archerfield, Queensland : Steve Parish.

Cann, J. & Sadlier, R. 2017. Freshwater turtles of Australia. CSIRO Publishing 464 pp.

Georges, A., Adams, M. & McCord, W. 2002. Electrophoretic delineation of species boundaries within the genus Chelodina (Testudines : Chelidae) of Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134: 401-421

Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1-37 [17]

McCord, W.P. & Ouni, M.J. 2007. A new genus of Australian longneck turtle (Testudines: Chelidae) and a new species of Macrochelodina from the Kimberley region of Western Australia (Australia). Reptilia 31: 56-64

Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R., Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B. & van Dijk, P.P. [Turtle Taxonomy Working Group] 2017. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.). Chelonian Conservation Foundation, Vol. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 7 pp. 1–292. [192, 233]

Thomson, S., Kennett, R. & Georges, A. 2000. A new species of long-necked turtle (Testudines: Chelidae) from the Arnhem Land Plateau, Northern Territory, Australia. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3(4): 675-685

van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Rhodin, A.G.J., Shaffer, H.B. & Bour, R.[Turtle Taxonomy Working Group] 2014. Turtles of the World, 7th Edition: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution with Maps, and Conservation Status. Chelonian Conservation Foundation, Vol. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5 pp. 329–479. [429]

Common Name References

Thomson, S., Kennett, R. & Georges, A. 2000. A new species of long-necked turtle (Testudines: Chelidae) from the Arnhem Land Plateau, Northern Territory, Australia. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3(4): 675-685 (Sandstone Snake-necked Turtle)

History of changes

• Chelodina expansa Gray, J.E. 1857. Description of a new species of Chelodina from Australia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1856: 369-371 [1856 on title page] [370].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) BMNH 1947.3.4.21; 1947.3.5.88, Australia.

Introduction

Allozyme data support the species designation (Georges et al. 2002)

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria

Extra Distribution Information

Also found on Fraser, Stradbroke and Moreton Islands

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

NSW, Qld, SA, Vic: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Riverina (RIV), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Victorian Midlands (VM)

Ecological Descriptors

Carnivorous, lentic freshwater, lotic freshwater.

General References

Cann, J. 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Sydney & Singapore : John Cann & Beaumont Publishing 292 pp. [81-88]

Georges, A., Adams, M. & McCord, W. 2002. Electrophoretic delineation of species boundaries within the genus Chelodina (Testudines : Chelidae) of Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134: 401-421

Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1-37 [17]

Hodges, K., Donnellan, S. & Georges, A. 2015. Significant genetic structure despite high vagility revealed through mitochondrial phylogeography of an Australian freshwater turtle (Chelodina longicollis). Marine and Freshwater Research 66: 1045-1056

Common Name References

Cann, J. 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Sydney & Singapore : John Cann & Beaumont Publishing 292 pp. [81-88] (Broad-shelled Turtle)

History of changes

• Chelodina kuchlingi Cann, J. 1997. Kuchlings Long-necked Turtle: A new species of long-necked turtle from Western Australia. Monitor (Journal of the Victorian Herpetological Society) 9(1): 41-44 [described from a single specimen of uncertain origin].

  Type data:

   Holotype WAM R29411, Kalumburu, NW Australia [14°18'S 126°28'E].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R., Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B. & van Dijk, P.P. [Turtle Taxonomy Working Group] 2017. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.). Chelonian Conservation Foundation, Vol. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 7 pp. 1–292. [191, 233]

Introduction

Validity of this taxon was questioned by Georges & Thomson (2010) who treated it as a synonym of C. rugosa. Subsequently however Kuhlmaier et al. (2019) showed it to be genetically distinct from C. rugosa and it is now recognised as valid, possibly extinct.

Distribution

States

Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

WA: Northern Kimberley (NK), Victoria Bonaparte (VB)

General References

Cann, J. & Sadlier, R. 2017. Freshwater turtles of Australia. CSIRO Publishing 464 pp.

Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1-37 [18]

Kehlmaier, C., Zhang, X., Georges, A., Campbell, P.D., Thomson, S. & Fritz, U. 2019. Mitogenomics of historical type specimens of Australasian turtles: clarification of taxonomic confusion and old mitochondrial introgression. Scientific Reports 9(5841): 1-12

Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R., Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B. & van Dijk, P.P. [Turtle Taxonomy Working Group] 2017. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.). Chelonian Conservation Foundation, Vol. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 7 pp. 1–292. [191]

van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Rhodin, A.G.J., Shaffer, H.B. & Bour, R.[Turtle Taxonomy Working Group] 2014. Turtles of the World, 7th Edition: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution with Maps, and Conservation Status. Chelonian Conservation Foundation, Vol. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5 pp. 329–479. [430]

Common Name References

Cann, J. & Sadlier, R. 2017. Freshwater turtles of Australia. CSIRO Publishing 464 pp. [93] (Kuchling's Long-neck Turtle)

Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R., Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B. & van Dijk, P.P. [Turtle Taxonomy Working Group] 2017. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.). Chelonian Conservation Foundation, Vol. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 7 pp. 1–292. [191] (Kuchling's Snake-necked Turtle)

History of changes

• Chelodina rugosa Ogilby, J.D. 1890. Description of a new Australian tortoise. Records of the Australian Museum 1: 56-59.

  Type data:

   Holotype AMSA R6256, Cape York, Queensland.
• Chelodina siebenrocki Werner, F. 1901. Uber reptilien und batrachier aus Ecuador und Neu-Guinea. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 51: 593-603.

  Type data:

   Holotype ZMB 16491, "Deutsch Neu-Guinea" [= northern Papua New Guinea] [in error] emended to "New Guinea's south coast" by Rhodin & Mittermeier (1976).

  Type locality references:

  Rhodin, A.G.J. & Mittermeier, R.A. 1976. Chelodina parkeri, a new species of Chelid turtle from New Guinea, with a discussion of Chelodina seibenrocki Werner, 1901. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 147(11): 465-488 [474].
• Chelodina intergularis Fry, D.B. 1915. Herpetological notes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 27: 60-95.

  Type data:

   Holotype AMSA R6255, Australia.
• Macrochelodina billabong Wells, R.W. & Wellington, C.R. 1985. A classification of the Amphibia and Reptilia of Australia. Australian Journal of Herpetology Supplementary Series 1: 1-61 [Date published September, 1985] [nomen nudum].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1-37 [18]
• Australian Society of Herpetologists 30 June 2022. Australian Society of Herpetologists Official List of Australian Species. Australian Society of Herpetologists. http://www.australiansocietyofherpetologists.org/ash-official-list-of-australian-species

Distribution

States

Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

North-western NT east to Cape York and Torres Strait islands; New Guinea

IBRA

Qld: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Central Arnhem (CA), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Pine Creek (PCK), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Victoria Bonaparte (VB)

Other Regions

Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

History of changes