Species Chelodina (Chelydera) kuchlingi Cann, 1997
Kuchling's Long-neck Turtle, Kuchling's Snake-necked Turtle
- 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
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
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)