Oblong turtle

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Oblong turtle
File:Chelodina oblonga 2025.jpg
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Chelidae
Genus: Chelodina
Subgenus: Macrochelodina
Species:
C. oblonga
Binomial name
Chelodina oblonga
Gray, 1841:446[2][3]

The oblong turtle (Chelodina oblonga), also known commonly as the narrow-breasted snake-necked turtle,[4] southwestern snake-necked turtle,[4] (western) long-neck(ed) turtle,[5][6] and as yaagan in Noongar language,[7][8] is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to the southwestern part of Western Australia.[9]

The species has been successfully bred in captivity in Cologne Zoological Garden, and the estimates life span is 30-40 years.[10]

While all turtles are popularly believed to be mute, the oblong turtle is known to have a wide range of vocalizations.[11]

Description

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Oblong turtles usually have a carapace length of under 30 cm, but has been recorded with a carapace length of up to 40 cm. Hatchlings will have a carapace length of 30 mm.[10]

Habitat

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The oblong turtle lives in a wide range of freshwater habitats, including wetlands, lakes and rivers. They are known to be capable of living in urban and agricultural environments, such as urban lakes and dams. The turtle is an opportunistic carnivore, feeding mainly on macro-invertebrates, but also carrion, frogs and fish. Hatchlings may eat mosquito larvae and aquatic plants as well.[10]

Etymology

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The specific name, colliei, is in honor of Scottish physician and naturalist Alexander Collie.[12]

Taxonomic history

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This species has a very complicated taxonomic history, involving many uses of the available names and a number of mistakes in that usage.[13][14] In his original concept of the two species involved Gray 1841[2] and 1856[3] clearly diagnosed two species, one from northern and one from southwestern Australia. However these were considered a single wide-ranging species by Boulenger 1889.[15] This mistaken concept was followed for some time but was reviewed by Burbidge (1967).[16] Unfortunately they had mixed the names up as was brought out first by Thomson (2000)[13] and has been summarised also by Kuchling (2010).[14]

A submission to the ICZN was put in by Thomson (2006)[17] to maintain the prevailing usage of Chelodina rugosa over the name Chelodina oblonga for the northern snake-necked turtle with further comments by several authors. In 2013 the ICZN handed down its opinion[18] on the issue where they deemed that the Principle of Priority should be followed. According to that ruling, the correct name for the northern snake-necked turtle was Chelodina oblonga and for the south-western snake-necked turtle is Chelodina colliei. Although that ruling required considerable effort over the ensuing 12 months to establish this nomenclature, subsequent research has reversed this finding with respect to Chelodina oblonga.

Kehlmaier et al. (2019)[19] analyzed mitochondrial genomes of key type specimens and resolved several questions regarding taxonomy and nomenclature. They declared Chelodina oblonga a nomen dubium, affirmed Chelodina colliei as the southwestern snake-necked turtle, and called for the name Chelodina rugosa Ogilby, 1890 to be restored to the northern snake-necked turtle. This finding was supported by the findings of Shea et al. (2020) that the supposed holotype of Chelodina oblonga was in fact part of a type series and molecular work showed it was in fact from Perth. This led to a more detailed examination of its history and the determination that it was indeed the southwestern snake-necked turtle.[4] Thus, the correct name scientific names are Chelodina oblonga for the southwestern snake-necked turtle and Chelodina rugosa for the northern, snake-necked turtle.[19][4]

Synonymy

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Synonymy of Chelodina oblonga, and redescriptions of the type specimens, per Shea, Thomson and Georges (2020):

  • Chelodina oblonga Gray, 1841: 446 (misidentified type sensu Thomson 2000[13])
  • Chelodina colliei Gray, 1856: 200[3]
    • Chelodina colliei — Thomson, 2006
    • Macrodiremys oblonga — McCord & Joseph-Ouni, 2007[20]
    • Chelodina (Macrodiremys) colliei — Georges & Thomson, 2010
    • Chelodina (Macrodiremys) colliei — TTWG, 2014
    • Chelodina colliei — Kehlmaier et al., 2019:6
    • Chelodina (Macrochelodina) oblonga — Shea et al., 2020

References

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  1. ^ Turtle Taxonomy Working Group [van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Shaffer, H.B., Bour, R., and Rhodin, A.G.J.] (2012). Turtles of the World, 2012 update: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5, pp. 000.243–000.328, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v5.2012, [1].
  2. ^ a b Gray, J.E. (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". pp. 422–449. In: Grey, G. (editor) Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in Northwest and Western Australia, vol. 2. Appendix. London: E.T. and W. Boone.
  3. ^ a b c Gray, John Edward ("1855"). "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 23: 197–202. [Published Feb. 1856].
  4. ^ a b c d e Shea, G., Thomson, S. & Georges, A. (2020). "The identity of Chelodina oblonga Gray 1841 (Testudines: Chelidae) reassessed". Zootaxa 4779(3): 419–437. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4779.3.9. PDF
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  12. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. (Chelodina colliei, p. 57).
  13. ^ a b c Thomson, S.A. (2000). "The identification of the holotype of Chelodina oblonga (Testudines: Chelidae) with a discussion of taxonomic implications". Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3: 745–749.
  14. ^ a b Kuchling, G. (2010). "Taxonomy and nomenclature of the longneck turtle (genus Chelodina) from south-western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum 25: 449–454.
  15. ^ Boulenger, G.A. (1889). Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History). New Edition. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). x + 311 pp. + Plates I-VI. (Chelodina oblonga, pp. 216-217).
  16. ^ Burbidge, A.A. (1967). The biology of south western Australian tortoises. PhD thesis, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
  17. ^ Thomson, S.A. (2006). "Chelodina rugosa Ogilby, 1890 (currently Macrochelodina rugosa; Reptilia, Testudines): proposed precedence over Chelodina oblonga Gray, 1841". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 63: 187–193.
  18. ^ ICZN (2013). "Opinion 2315 (Case 3351). Chelodina rugosa Ogilby, 1890 (currently Macrochelodina rugosa; Reptilia, Testudines): precedence not granted over Chelodina oblonga Gray, 1841". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 70 (1): 57-60.
  19. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ^ McCord, William P.; Joseph-Ouni, Mehdi (2007b). "A new genus of Australian longneck turtle (Testudines: Chelidae) and a new species of Macrochelodina from the Kimberley region of Western Australia (Australia)". Reptilia (GB) (Barcelona) 55: 56–64.

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