Elseya dentata

Elseya dentata (Gray, 1863),[3] the northern snapping turtle, is a large aquatic turtle found throughout many rivers in northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is one of three species in the nominate subgenus Elseya.

Elseya dentata
Captive ''Elseya dentata in Autralia.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Chelidae
Genus: Elseya
Subgenus: Elseya
Species:
E. dentata
Binomial name
Elseya dentata
(Gray, 1863)
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Chelymys dentata Gray 1863:98
  • Chelymys elseyi Gray 1864:132 (nomen nudum)
  • Chelymys elseya Gray 1870:76 (nomen nudum)
  • Elseya intermedia Gray 1872:23

Etymology

This species is named for the serrated margin of the shell, mostly only visible in younger animals.

Taxonomy

During their revision of the New Guinea Elseya a lectotype was set for this species. Further it was placed in a subgenus and as the type species of the genus it is therefore in the nominate subgenus.[2]

References
  1. Turtle Taxonomy Working Group [van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Rhodin, A.G.J., Shaffer, H.B., and Bour, R.]. 2014. Turtles of the world, 7th edition: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution with maps, and conservation status. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson, J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 5(7):000.329–479, doi:10.3854/ crm.5.000.checklist.v7.2014.
  2. Thomson, S., Amepou, Y., Anamiato, J. & Georges, A. 2015. A new species and subgenus of Elseya (Testudines: Pleurodira: Chelidae) from New Guinea. Zootaxa 4006(1):59-82. Preview (PDF)
  3. Gray, J.E. 1863. On the species of Chelymys from Australia, with the description of a new species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 3(12):98-99
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