Memoirs of the Queensland Museum (1997),42(1):327-336

     In species level taxonomy, the onus is on differential diagnosis. The shell of the fossil holotype is adequately preserved for diagnostic purposes. We therefore propose that, in the absence of any diagnosable difference and the relatively young age of the fossil material, Elseya lavarackorum and the Nicholson Elseya sp. aff. E. dentata be regarded as a single species. It is Australia's first living fossil freshwater turtle, an extant population of a Pleistocene taxon. We do not propose that allochronic subspecies be recognised.

The authors would like to thank Patrick Couper (Queensland Museum), Ross Sadlier (Australian Museum), Paul Horner (Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory) and Laurie Smith (Museum of Western Australia) for the loans of fossil and skeletal material and for access to the museum's turtle collections; Peter Whitehead for a large donation of material stored at the Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory; John Cann, John Legler and Gerald Kuchling for the loan of material from their private collections and the Department of Environment and Heritage in Queensland for permits to collect in the Nicholson Drainage of north west Queensland. We would especially like to thank Simone Reynolds of the University of Canberra for the illustrations in this paper and Peter Ogilvie for the photography.

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     All names used for undescribed species are from Georges and Adams (1992, 1996). Abbreviations used: AM, Australian Museum; NTM, Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory; QM, Queensland Museum; WAM, Western Australian Museum; UC, University of Canberra; UM, University of Michigan Field Series; UU, University of Utah.

Elusor macrurus: UC 0184-93, 0225-29, 0344, UU 19488, 19508; Elseya dentata: NTM 13319, 13521, 16330, QM 59265, 59277-80, UC 0307-18; Elseya latisternum: AM 123037, 123039, 125474-75, QM 48054-55; Elseya novaeguineae: AM 42662, 125038; Elseya lavarackorum: QM F24121, F30817-18 (fossil), QM 31939, 31942, 31944, 31946-47, 31949-50, 31952, 46284, 47908, 47911, 48544, 48547, 60255, UC0201 (extant); Emydura macquarii: QM 48016, 48034, 48050-51, 59275-76, UC 0175-76, 0303; Emydura subglobosa: NTM 5028, 8206, 13428, 13433, 16332, UC 0171-72, 0177; Emydura victoriae: NTM 13513-14, 32917, 32976, UC 0165; Elseya sp. aff. E. dentata (Burnett): UC 0305-6, QM 2966, 28449, 36036, 36039, 36041-42, 36044-47, 37933, 38533, 59269-71; Elseya sp. aff. E. dentata (Johnstone): QM 22694, 23175, 23299, 23300, 23322, 24938, 28449, 48060, 48068; Elseya sp. aff. E. dentata (South Alligator): AM 128002, 128004, QM 59285-89, NTM 5097, 13512, 13985, UC 0304; Elseya sp. aff. E. latisternum (Gwyder): AM 123028-29, QM 48028, 48038; Elseya sp. aff. E. latisternum (Bellingen): AM 138387-88, UM 02016-17; Elseya sp. aff. E. latisternum (Manning): AM 123040, 123042, QM 59289-90; Emydura sp. aff. E. victoriae (Daly Mission) AM 125470-71, 125491, NTM 8211, 8213, 17339; Pseudemydura umbrina: UC 0178, WAM 29337; Rheodytes leukops: UC 0173.

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