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Chelodina longicollis (SHAW, 1794)

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Higher TaxaChelidae, Chelodininae, Pleurodira, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Common Snake-necked Turtle
G: Glattrücken-Schlangenhalsschildkröte 
SynonymTestudo longicollis SHAW 1794: 19
Emys longicollis
Chelodina longicollis — GRAY 1831
Chelodina novae-hollandiae DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 443 (nomen subst.)
Chelodina longicollis — BELL 1836-1842
Chelodina sulcifera GRAY 1855
Chelodina sulcata GRAY 1856: 267
Chelodina longicollis — GRAY 1857: 486
Chelodina longicollis — BOULENGER 1889
Chelodina longicollis — SIEBENROCK 1905
Chelodina longicollis — COGGER 2000: 190
Chelodina longicollis — GEORGES & THOMSON 2010
Chelodina (Chelodina) longicollis — TTWG 2014
Chelodina (Chelodina) longicollis — SHEA et al. 2020
Chelodina longicollis — TTWG 2021 
DistributionAustralia (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria)

Type locality: New Holland (= Australia), by implication.  
Reproductionoviparous. FRITZ & BAUR (1995) report vital hybrids between Emydura subglobosa and Chelodina longicollis. 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1947.3.5.86. Holotype presumed to be that specimen on which Shaw based a subsequent description of this species (Shaw 1802), fide Cogger, 1983: 61 and King et al. 1989, but P. Campbell / BMNH catalogue says the specimen is the type of [sulcifera] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Medium to large freshwater turtles with exceptionally long necks; head and neck, when extended, typically of similar length to, or longer than, the carapace; gular scutes meet in front of intergular scute, or if not, barely separated by intergular (common variant in C. burrungandjii); skull anteriorly elongated; frontal bones fused into a single unit; parietal arch absent; atlas elements (intercentrum, centrum, lamina) fused into a single unit; four claws on front and back feet (from Shea et a. 2020). 
CommentSynonymy mostly after Cogger 1983 and GEORGES & THOMSON 2010.

Type species: Testudo longicollis SHAW 1794 is the type species of the genus Chelodina FITZINGER 1826.

Habitat: freshwater (rivers, swamps) 
EtymologyNamed after Latin longus = long and collum = neck, for its long neck.

The genus was named after Greek khelys = tortoise; -dina is derived from Greek deinos = terrible, hence 'a terrible tortoise'; this is a misleading name as they are not usually vicious 9Gotch 1986) 
References
  • Artner, H. G. 1994. Nomenklatur aktuell: Gattung Chelodina. Emys 1 (2): 11
  • Artner, H. G. 1999. Nomenklatur aktuell: Gattung Chelodina. Emys 6 (1): 18–19
  • Bell, T. 1836. A monograph of the Testudinata. London, 1836-1842 (sometimes given as 1832-1836, not date given, unnumbered pages) - get paper here
  • Bonin, F., Devaux, B. & Dupré, A. 2006. Turtles of the World. English translation by P.C.H. Pritchard. Johns Hopkins University Press, 416 pp.
  • Bour, R. 2008. Global diversity of turtles (Chelonii; Reptilia) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:593–598 - get paper here
  • Cann, John 1998. Australian Freshwater Turtles. Beaumont Publishing, Singapore: 292 pp.
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Duméril, A.M.C., and G. Bibron. 1835. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles, Vol. 2. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris, iv + 680 p. - get paper here
  • Eisner, T., T.H. Jones, J. Meinwald & J.M. Legler 1978. Chemical Composition of the Odorous Secretion of the Australian Turtle, Chelodina longicollis Copeia 1978 (4): 714-715. - get paper here
  • Ernst,C.H. and Barbour,R.W. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. - London
  • Ezaz, Tariq; Nicole Valenzuela, Frank Grützner, Ikuo Miura, Arthur Georges, Russell L. Burke & Jennifer A. Marshall Graves 2006. An XX/XY sex microchromosome system in a freshwater turtle, Chelodina longicollis (Testudines: Chelidae) with genetic sex determination. Chromosome Research 14:139–150 - get paper here
  • Ferronato, Bruno O.; Marques, Thiago S.; Lara, Neliton R.F.; Martinelli, Luiz A.; Verdade, Luciano M.; Camargo, Plinio B.; Roe, John H.; Georges, Arthur 2016. Isotopic niche in the eastern long-necked turtle, Chelodina longicollis (Testudines: Chelidae), along a natural-urban gradient in southeastern Australia. The Herpetological Journal 26 (4): 297-304 - get paper here
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  • Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1–37 - get paper here
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  • Graham, T., A. Georges & N. McElhinney 1996. Terrestrial Orientation by the Eastern Long-necked Turtle, Chelodina longicollis, from Australia Journal of Herpetology 30 (4): 467-477. - get paper here
  • Gray, J.E. 1856. On some new species freshwater tortoises from North America, Ceylon and Australia, in the collection of the British Museum. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1855: 197-202 - get paper here
  • Gray,J.E. 1856. Catalogue of Shield Reptiles in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises). British Museum, London, 79 pp. [1855] - get paper here
  • Gray,J.E. 1856. On some new species freshwater tortoises from North America, Ceylon and Australia. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (2) 18: 263-268 - get paper here
  • Gray,J.E. 1857. Description of a new species of Chelodina from Australia. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (2) 19: 485-486 - get paper here
  • Hennig, A.S. 2004. Haltung von Wasserschildkröten. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 125 pp. - get paper here
  • Joyce, Walter G.; James F. Parham , Tyler R. Lyson , Rachel C. M. Warnock and Philip C. J. Donoghue 2013. A Divergence Dating Analysis of Turtles Using Fossil Calibrations: An Example of Best Practices. Journal of Paleontology, 87(4):612-634 - get paper here
  • Kaminski, Thmas H. and Andreas S. Hennig. 2013. Brief note on the find of a Common Snake-necked Turtle, Chelodina longicollis (Shaw, 1794) in the Australian state of New South Wales. Radiata 22 (4): 31-32
  • Kay, G.M.; D. Michael; M. Crane; S. Okada; C. MacGregor; D. Florance; D. Trengove; L. McBurney; D. Blair; D.B. Lindenmayer. 2013. A list of reptiles and amphibians from Box Gum Grassy Woodlands in south-eastern Australia. Check List 9 (3):476-481 - get paper here
  • Kennett, R.M. & A. Georges 1990. Habitat Utilization and its Relationship to Growth and Reproduction of the Eastern Long-Necked Turtle, Chelodina longicollis (Testudinata: Chelidae) from Australia Herpetologica 46 (1): 22-33. - get paper here
  • Kennett, Rod; John Roe, Kate hodges, and aRthuR geoRges 2009. Chelodina longicollis (Shaw 1794) – Eastern Long-Necked Turtle, Common Long-Necked Turtle, Common Snake-Necked Turtle. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5: 31.1-31.8 - get paper here
  • McCord, W. P. & S. A. Thomson 2002. A new species of Chelodina (Testudines: Pleurodira: Chelidae) from Northern Australia. Journal of Herpetology 36 (2): 255-267. - get paper here
  • McCord, W.P. & Joseph-Ouni, M. 2004. Chelonian Illustrations #12: Snake-necked and monotypic side-necked turtles of Indo-Australasia. Reptilia (GB) (32): 66-69 - get paper here
  • Mertens, R. 1972. Eine oft verkannte Unterart der australischen Schlangenhalsschildkröte Chelodina longicollis. Salamandra 8 (1): 27-31 - get paper here
  • Michael, D.R.; D.B. Lindenmayer; M. Crane; C. MacGregor; R. Montague-Drake; L. McBurney. 2011. Reptilia, Murray catchment, New South Wales, southeastern Australia. Check List 7 (1):25-29 - get paper here
  • Mo, Matthew 2015. Herpetofaunal community of the constructed Lime Kiln Bay Wetland, south Sydney, New South Wales. Victorian Naturalist 132 (3): 64-72 - get paper here
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  • Petrov, K., Sutcliffe, S., Truscott, H., Kutay, C., Eisemberg, C. C., Spencer, R. J., ... & Georges, A. 2023. Turtles in trouble. Conservation ecology and priorities for Australian freshwater turtles. Austral Ecology - get paper here
  • Rautert, H. 1982. Bemerkenswerte Häutungen bei Chelodina longicollis SHAW als Indizien gegen die Gültigkeit des Taxon Chelodina l. sulcifera GRAY. Herpetofauna 4 (16): 6-10 - get paper here
  • Schulz,D. 2000. Chelodina longicollis SHAW. Sauria (Suppl.) 23 (3): 517-520 - get paper here
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  • SHEA, GLENN; SCOTT THOMSON & ARTHUR GEORGES 2020. The identity of Chelodina oblonga Gray 1841 (Testudines: Chelidae) reassessed. Zootaxa 4779 (3): 419–437 - get paper here
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  • ZUG, G.R. 2013. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands. University of California Press, Berkeley, 306 pp. - get paper here
 
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