Reptiles Guide

Chelodina Conservation status: Secure
Eastern Long-necked Tortoise (Chelodina longicollis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Sauropsida   Order: Testudines   Suborder: Pleurodira   Family: Chelidae   Genus: Chelodina Fitzinger, 1826
Species
See text

Chelodina is an ancient genus of Chelid turtles native to Australia, New Guinea and the island of Roti of the Indonesian archepeligo. The first fossils (C. alanrixi) are known from Queensland from the Eocene period. The turtles within this genus are small to medium sized, with oval shaped carapace. They are side-necked turtles, meaning they tuck their head partially around the side of their body when threatened instead of directly backwards. Chelodina and the genus Macrochelodina describe snake-necked turtles.

Taxonomy

• Chelodina alanrixi (fossil)
• Chelodina insculpta (fossil)
• Chelodina burrungandjii (Thomson, Kennett & Georges, 2000)
• Chelodina canni (McCord & Thompson, 2002)
• Chelodina expansa (Gray, 1857)
• Chelodina kuchlingi (Cann, 1997)
• Chelodina longicollis (Shaw, 1794)
• Chelodina mccordi (Rhodin, 1994)
• Chelodina novaeguineae (Boulenger, 1888)
• Chelodina oblonga (Gray, 1841)
• Chelodina parkeri (Rhodin and Mittermeier, 1976)
• Chelodina reimanni (Philippen and Grossmann, 1990)
• Chelodina rugosa (Ogilby, 1890)
• Chelodina siebenrocki (Werner, 1901)
• Chelodina steindachneri (Siebenrock, 1914)

References

• Taxonomic history of the genus Chelodina
• GBIF Biodiversity Data Portal
• Turtle of the World>Species Chelodina (Snake-necked turtles)