Species Emydura macquarii (Gray, 1830)
Macquarie River Turtle
- Emys macquaria Cuvier, G. 1829. Le Règne Animal, distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Paris : Déterville Vol. 2, Edn 2, i-xv + pp. 1-406. [11] [nomen nudum; nom. nud.].
Type data:
Syntype(s). - Chelys (Hydraspis) macquarii Gray, J.E. 1831. A synopsis of the species of the class Reptilia. pp. 1-110 in Griffith, E. (ed.). The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier. London : Whittaker, Treacher & Co. Vol. 9 481+110 pp. [1831 on title page] [Synopsis, 15] [as Ch. (Hydraspis) macquarii ex Cuvier ms].
Type data:
Holotype MNHP 9409, Australia; subsequently corrected to Macquarie River, NSW.Type locality references:
Gray, J.E. 1831. Synopsis Reptilium; or Short Descriptions of the Species of Reptiles: Cataphracta. Tortoises, Crocodiles, and Enaliosaurians. London : Treuttel, Würtz & Co. Vol. 1 viii 85 pp.; Gray, J.E. 1872. On the genus Chelymys and its allies from Australia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1872: 504-514. - Hydraspis macquarrii Gray, J.E. 1831. Synopsis Reptilium; or Short Descriptions of the Species of Reptiles: Cataphracta. Tortoises, Crocodiles, and Enaliosaurians. London : Treuttel, Würtz & Co. Vol. 1 viii 85 pp. [40] [errore for Emys macquarii [sic] Cuvier MS].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 1947.3.4.36 (labelled from "Western Australia", later corrected to Macquarie River by Gray (1872), but see Introduction to E. victoriae regarding recent assessment), Macquarie River, New South Wales.Type locality references:
Gray, J.E. 1872. On the genus Chelymys and its allies from Australia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1872: 504-514.- Euchelymys sulcifera Gray, J.E. 1871. On Euchelymys, a new genus and two new species of Australian freshwater tortoises. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 4 8: 117-118.
Type data:
Lectotype BMNH 1947.7.3.5.97, North Australia. - Chelymys krefftii Gray, J.E. 1871. Notes on Australian freshwater tortoises. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 4 8: 366 [366].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 1947.3.6.1, Burnett River, QLD. - Chelymys victoriae sulcata Gray, J.E. 1872. On the genus Chelymys and its allies from Australia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1872: 504-514.
Type data:
Syntype(s) BMNH 71.9.25.3-4, Burnett River, Queensland. - Chelymys victoriae marmorata Gray, J.E. 1872. On the genus Chelymys and its allies from Australia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1872: 504-514.
- Emydura signata Ahl, E. 1932. Beschreibung einer neuen Schildkröte aus Australien. Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1932: 127-129.
Type data:
Holotype ZMB 34102, Brisbane district, Queensland. - Emydura canni Worrell, E. 1970. Reptiles of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xv 169 pp. [nomen nudum].
- Emydura macquarrii signata Wermuth, H. & Mertens, R. 1977. Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien; Testudines, Crocodylia, Rhynchocephalia. Das Tierreich 100: i-xxvii, 1-174.
- Chelymys cooki 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].
- Tropicochelymys insularis 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].
- Chelymys johncanni 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].
- Chelymys windorah 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].
- Emydura macquarii signata Gosławki, J. & Hryniewicz, A. 1993. Żółwie. Będzin, Poland : Q Puchatek.
- Emydura macquarii binjing Cann, J. 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Sydney & Singapore : John Cann & Beaumont Publishing 292 pp. [116-119].
Type data:
Holotype AMSA R59558 ♀, Clarence drainage, New South Wales [29°45'S, 152°15'E]. - Emydura macquarii dharra Cann, J. 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Sydney & Singapore : John Cann & Beaumont Publishing 292 pp. [120-122].
Type data:
Holotype AMSA R59553, Macleay River, New South Wales [30°54'S, 152°10'E]. - Emydura macquarii gunabarra Cann, J. 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Sydney & Singapore : John Cann & Beaumont Publishing 292 pp. [123-125].
Type data:
Holotype AMSA 143596 ♀, Hunter River, New South Wales [32°09'S, 150°58'E]. - Emydura macquarii dharuk Cann, J. 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Sydney & Singapore : John Cann & Beaumont Publishing 292 pp. [126-130].
Type data:
Holotype AMSA 143598 ♀, Nortons Basin, Nepean River [33°52'S, 150°37'E]. - Emydura macquarii emmotti McCord, W..P, Cann, J. & Joseph-Ouni, M. 2003. A taxonomic assessment of Emydura (Testudines: Chelidae) with descriptions of new subspecies from Queensland, Australia. Reptilia 27: 59-63 [Date published April 2003] [60].
Type data:
Holotype QM J51255 ♀, Waterloo Station, shearing-shed waterhole, southwestern Queensland [24°13' S, 143°17' E].
Paratype(s) QM J72280 subadult ♀, same as holotype; QM J35338, J35339 subadult ♂ and ♀, Cooper Creek near Windorah, QLD [25°22'S, 142°45'W]. - Emydura macquarii nigra McCord, W..P, Cann, J. & Joseph-Ouni, M. 2003. A taxonomic assessment of Emydura (Testudines: Chelidae) with descriptions of new subspecies from Queensland, Australia. Reptilia 27: 59-63 [Date published April 2003] [62].
Type data:
Holotype QM J48008 ♀, Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island, Queensland [25°27'S, 153°04'E].
Paratype(s) QM J47989, J47991, J47992, J48000 4 specimens, same as holotype.
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 [24]
Generic Combinations
- Emydura macquarii krefftii (Gray, 1871). —
Blackmore, E.H. 1969. On the Australasian Chelidae (Chelodina). Victorian Naturalist 86: 280-283 - Emydura macquarii (Gray, 1830). —
Bonaparte, C.L. 1836. Cheloniorum Tabula Analytica. Rome. 9 pp. [7] (changed combination as type species of genus Emydura, see also Stimson (1986)) - Emydura macquarii macquarii (Gray, 1830). —
Blackmore, E.H. 1969. On the Australasian Chelidae (Chelodina). Victorian Naturalist 86: 280-283
Introduction
A range of separate species or subspecies within Emydura macquarii have been recognised as valid by various authors. The taxonomy of Georges & Thomson (2010) has been widely adopted however there are many other arrangements often with conflicting lines of evidence (Cann & Sadlier, 2017). While recognising new approaches such as that used by Georges et al. 2018, we follow the Australian Society of Herpetologists in not recognising subspecies within E. macquarii until an arrangement that is well supported by evidence and likely to be stable is published in the peer reviewed literature. See the Australian Society of Herpetologists Official List of Australian Species (2022) for further details.
Distribution
States
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria
Extra Distribution Information
Associated with the Murray-Darling drainage system.
Australian Endemic.
IBRA
NSW, Qld, SA, Vic: Australian Alps (AA), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Kanmantoo (KAN), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Victorian Midlands (VM), Wet Tropics (WT)
Ecological Descriptors
Lentic freshwater, lotic freshwater, omnivore.
General References
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
Georges, A., Gruber, B., Pauly, G.B., White, D., Adams, M., Young, M.J., Kilian, A., Zhang, X., Shaffer, H.B. and Unmack, P.J. 2018. Genomewide SNP markers breathe new life into phylogeography and species delimitation for the problematic short‐necked turtles (Chelidae: Emydura) of eastern Australia. Molecular Ecology 27: 5195-5213
Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1-37
Stimson, A.F. 1986. On the correct zoological name of the Australasian turtle genus Emydura Bonaparte. Journal of Herpetology 20(2): 279-280
Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2003. A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia. Australia : Holland 448 pp. [42]
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-Nov-2022 | CHELIDAE | 30-Nov-2022 | MOVED | |
| 04-Sep-2013 | CHELIDAE | 08-Jul-2014 | MODIFIED | |
| 09-Aug-2012 | 28-Aug-2013 | MODIFIED | ||
| 29-Apr-2011 | 29-Apr-2011 | MODIFIED | ||
| 08-Mar-2011 | 08-Mar-2011 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |