''Emydura'', the Australian short-necked turtles, are a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Chelidae Chelidae is one of three living families of the turtle suborder Pleurodira, and are commonly called Austro-South American side-neck turtles. The family is distributed in Australia, New Guinea, parts of Indonesia, and throughout most of South Amer ...

. It was

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

with ''

Elseya ''Elseya'' is a genus of large side-necked turtles, commonly known as Australian snapping turtles, in the family Chelidae. Species in the genus ''Elseya'' are found in river systems in northern and northeastern Australia and throughout the river ...

''. Consequently, it was split into two genera ''

Myuchelys The ''Myuchelys'' is a genus of turtles, the Australian saw-shelled turtles, in the family Chelidae and subfamily Chelodininae. They inhabit the headwaters and tributaries of rivers within their range and this led to the name ''Myuchelys'', whic ...

'' and ''Elseya'' by Thomson & Georges, 2009.Thomson, S. & Georges, A. (2009) ''Myuchelys'' gen. nov. —a new genus for ''Elseya latisternum'' and related forms of Australian freshwater turtle (

Testudines Turtles are an order (biology), order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) an ...

Pleurodira The Pleurodira are one of the two living suborders of turtles, the other being the Cryptodira. The division between these two suborders represents a very deep evolutionary divide between two very different types of turtles. The physical differen ...

)

Zootaxa ''Zootaxa'' is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press (Auckland, New Zealand). The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week. ...

2053: 32–42. They can grow quite large, 30 cm or more is not unusual and have a life span of around 20–30 years. They generally do not hibernate as their warmer climate lets them remain active all year round; they also spend more time in the water than other varieties. They are considered omnivore but rely on a constant supply of meat to remain healthy, feeding on basically anything that will fit into their mouth. They are characterised by a white strip starting at their nose and leading down their neck, as well as a more rigged shell. In Australia, the public require a basic reptiles licence to purchase these animals; taking from the wild is strictly prohibited.

Species

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

and notable

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

arranged according to most recent review of Georges & Thomson, 2010 with some modification after Kehlmaier et al. 2019Kehlmaier, 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 (2019) 9:5841 , https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42310-x are: * Northern red-faced turtle, ''

Emydura australis ''Emydura australis'', the northern red-faced turtle, is a medium-sized aquatic turtle inhabiting rivers, streams and permanent water bodies across much of northern Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sov ...

'', (Gray, 1841) * ''

Emydura gunaleni ''Emydura gunaleni'' is a species of Australasian short-necked turtle that is endemic to New Guinea. The specific epithet ''gunaleni'' honours Danny Gunalen, who was instrumental in recognising the distinctive nature of the species and in procu ...

'', Smales, McCord, Cann, & Joseph-Ouni, 2019 * Macquarie turtle, ''

Emydura macquarii ''Emydura macquarii'' (common names include Murray River turtle, Macquarie River turtle, eastern short-necked turtle, eastern short-neck turtle and southern river turtle) is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. It is a wide-ranging spec ...

'', (Gray, 1830)Gray, J.E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class Reptilia. pp 1-110 in Griffith, E. The animal kingdom arranged in conformity with its organisation by the Baron Cuvier. London: Whitaker and Treacher and Co. 9:481 + 110pp. ** Murray river turtle, ''Emydura macquarii macquarii'' ** Krefft's turtle, ''Emydura macquarii krefftii'' ** Fraser island short-neck turtle, ''Emydura macquarii nigra'' ** Cooper creek turtle, ''Emydura macquarii emmotti'' *

Red-bellied short-necked turtle The red-bellied short-necked turtle (''Emydura subglobosa''), also known commonly as the pink-bellied side-necked turtle and the Jardine River turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is native to Australia and Papua N ...

or Jardine River Turtle, ''

Emydura subglobosa ''Emydura'', the Australian short-necked turtles, are a genus of turtles in the family Chelidae. It was paraphyletic with ''Elseya''. Consequently, it was split into two genera ''Myuchelys'' and ''Elseya'' by Thomson & Georges, 2009.Thomson, S. ...

'', (Krefft 1876)

Krefft Johann Ludwig (Louis) Gerard Krefft (17 February 1830 – 19 February 1881), a talented artist and draughtsman, and the Curator of the Australian Museum for 13 years (1861-1874), was one of Australia's first and most influential zoologists and ...

, G. 1876. Notes on Australian animals in New Guinea with description of a new freshwater tortoise belonging to the genus ''Euchelymys''. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale de Genova. 1:390-394. ** Red-bellied short-necked turtle, ''Emydura subglobosa subglobosa'' ** Worrell's short-necked turtle, ''Emydura subglobosa worrelli'' * Northern yellow-faced turtle, ''

Emydura tanybaraga The northern yellow-faced turtle (''Emydura tanybaraga'') is a species of medium-sized aquatic turtle in the family Chelidae. It inhabits slow-flowing rivers, streams, billabongs and paperbark swamps across much of northern Australia. Descript ...

'', Cann, 1997Cann, J. 1997. The northern yellow-faced turtle. Monitor 9(1):24-29, 34-35. * Victoria river red-faced turtle, ''

Emydura victoriae ''Emydura victoriae'', also known commonly as the red-faced turtle, Victoria short-necked turtle and Victoria River turtle, is a species of medium-sized aquatic turtle in the family Chelidae. The species inhabits rivers, streams and permanent wa ...

'', (Gray 1841)Gray, J.E. 1841. Description of some hitherto unrecorded species of Australian reptiles and batrachians. pp 51-57. in Gray, J.E. Zoological Miscellaney. London: Treutal, Wurtz and Co. file:Krefft's River Turtle2.jpg, Kreftt's river turtle

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2710616 Turtle genera Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Turtles of Australia