An Introduction to the Chelodina
by Scott Thomson.
Chelodina, collectively known as snake-necked turtles, is a large and diverse genus of long-necked Chelid
turtles with a complicated nomenclatural history. Although in the past Macrochelodina and Macrodiremys have been considered separate genera and
prior to that all the same, they are now considered subgenera of the Chelodina. Chelodina is an ancient group of Chelid turtles native to Australia,
New Guinea and the Indonesian Rote Island. The turtles within this subgenus are small to medium sized, with oval shaped carapace. They are side-necked turtles,
meaning they tuck their head partially around the side of their body when threatened instead of directly backwards. Macrochelodina represents those
species that have often been termed the Chelodina B group, or thick necked snake neck turtles. The subgenus was described in 1985 by Wells & Wellington
(as a new genus) but was not recognized until recently when it was shown that the name was valid. As such they are a side-neck turtle of the family Chelidae
with extremely long necks and long flattened heads. They are specialist fish eaters using a strike and gape mode of feeding. They are medium to large species
with the largest Chelodina (M.) expansa reaching shell lengths of some 45 cm (18 in).[3] The first fossils (C. (M.) alanrixi)
are known from Queensland from the Eocene period (Lapparent de Broin, F. de, & Molnar, R. E., 2001). Macrodiremys is a monotypic genus recently split off
from the rest of the Chelodina. Its sole member is the enigmatic Chelodina (Macrodiremys) colliei from Western Australia.
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Taxonomy ... see taxonomy page
Current taxonomy follows that of Georges & Thomson, 2010
Subgenus: Chelodina Fitzinger, 1826
Chelodina (C.) canni McCord & Thomson, 2002
Chelodina (C.) longicollis (Shaw, 1794)
Chelodina (C.) mccordi Rhodin, 1994
Chelodina (C.) novaeguineae Boulenger, 1888
Chelodina (C.) reimanni Philippen and Grossmann, 1990
Chelodina (C.) pritchardi Rhodin, 1994
Chelodina (C.) steindachneri Siebenrock, 1914
Subgenus: Macrochelodina Wells & Wellington, 1985
†Chelodina (M.) alanrixi de Broin and Molnar, 2001
†Chelodina (M.) insculpta de Vis, 1897
Chelodina (M.) burrungandjii Thomson, Kennett & Georges, 2000
Chelodina (M.) expansa Gray, 1857
Chelodina (M.) parkeri Rhodin and Mittermeier, 1976
Chelodina (M.) oblonga Gray, 1841
Subgenus: Macrodiremys McCord & Joseph-Uoni 2007
Chelodina (M.) colliei Gray, 1856
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Map created by Scott Thomson
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References
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Boulenger, G.A. 1888. On the chelydoid chelonians of New Guinea. Annals Museo Civico di Storia Naturale de Genova. (2)6:449-452
Gray, John Edward. 1841. A catalogue of the species of reptiles and amphibia hitherto described as inhabiting Australia, with a description
of some new species from Western Australia, and some remarks on their geographical distribution. In: Grey, G. Journals of Two Expeditions of
Discovery in Northwest and Western Australia. London: T. and W. Boone, Vol. 2. Appendix E, pp. 422–449.
Gray, John Edward. 1856a. On some new species of freshwater tortoises from North America, Ceylon and Australia, in the collection of the
British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1855[1856](23):197–202.
McCord W. and Thomson S. (2002). A new species of Chelodina (Testudines: Pleurodira: Chelidae) from Northern Australia. Journal of
Herpetology 36(2):255-267
Phillipen, H.D. and Grossman, M. (1990) Eine neue Schlangenhalsschildkrote von Neueguinea: Chelodina reimanni sp. n. (Reptilia, Testudines,
Pleuordira: Chelidae). Zoologische Abhandlungen, Staatliches Museum fur Tierkunde, Dresden, 46:95-102.
Rhodin, A.G.J. (1994a) Chelid Turtles of the Australian Archipelago II: A new species of Chelodina from Roti Island, Indonesia. Breviora 498:1-38.
Rhodin, A.G.J. (1994b) Chelid Turtles of the Australian Archipelago I: A new species of Chelodina from southeastern Papua New Guinea. Breviora 497:1-36.
Siebenrock, F. 1914. Eine neue Chelodina art aus Westaustralien. Anz. Akad. Wiss. Wien Math.-natur. Kl.(1)17:386-387.
Shaw, G. 1794. Zoology of New Holland. Vol 1. Davis, London. 33pp.
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