Murray River turtle

Murray River turtle Temporal range: Eocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Macquarie turtle Emydura macquarii
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Pleurodira
Family:	Chelidae
Subfamily:	Chelodininae
Genus:	Emydura
Species:	E. macquarrii
Binomial name
Emydura macquarrii (Gray, 1830)
Subspecies
E. m. macquarrii (Gray, 1830) E. m. krefftii (Gray, 1871) E. m. nigra McCord et al., 2003 E. m. emmotti Cann et al., 2003
Synonyms
E. m. macquarii (Gray 1830) Emys macquaria Cuvier 1829:11 (nomen nudum) Chelys (Hydraspis) macquarii Gray 1830:15 Hydraspis macquarrii Gray 1831:40 (nomen novum) Platemys macquaria A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron 1835:438 (nomen novum) Hydraspis australis Gray 1841:445 (10:41) (nomen dubium) Euchelymys sulcifera Gray 1871a:118 Emydura macquariae Boulenger 1889:ix (nomen novum) Emydura signata Ahl 1932:127 Emydura canni Worrell 1970:pl.6 (nomen nudum) Chelymys cooki Wells & Wellington 1985:8 (nomen nudum) Chelymys johncanni Wells & Wellington 1985:8 (nomen nudum) Emydura macquarii binjing Cann 1998:116 Emydura macquarii dharra Cann 1998:120 Emydura macquarii gunabarra Cann 1998:123 Emydura macquarii dharuk Cann 1998:126 E. m. emmotti Cann, McCord & Joseph-Ouni in Mc-Cord, Cann & Joseph-Ouni 2003 Chelymys windorah Wells & Wellington 1985:8 (nomen nudum) Emydura macquarii emmotti Cann, McCord & Joseph-Ouni in McCord, Cann & Joseph-Ouni 2003:59 E. m. krefftii (Gray 1871) Chelymys krefftii Gray 1871b:366 Chelymys victoriae marmorata Gray 1872d:506 Chelymys victoriae sulcata Gray 1872d:506 E. m. nigra McCord, Cann & Joseph-Ouni 2003 Tropicochelymys insularis Wells & Wellington 1985:9 (nomen nudum) Emydura macquarii nigra McCord, Cann & Joseph-Ouni 2003:59

E. m. macquarii (Gray 1830)

E. m. emmotti Cann, McCord & Joseph-Ouni in Mc-Cord, Cann & Joseph-Ouni 2003

E. m. krefftii (Gray 1871)

E. m. nigra McCord, Cann & Joseph-Ouni 2003

The Murray River turtle (Emydura macquarii ) is a wide-ranging species that occurs throughout many of the rivers of the eastern half of Australia. It is found primarily in the Murray River Basin and all its major tributaries, along with a number of coastal rivers up the New South Wales Coast. It is also found in the coastal Queensland Rivers and the Cooper Creek Ecosystem, along with Fraser Island.

It is infected with the flatworm Choanocotyle elegans.

This species has a long and complicated nomenclatural history, including even its original description. The holotype was originally collected by René Primevère Lesson (1794–1849) and Prosper Garnot (1794–1838) in 1824. During an expedition on the La Coquille, captained by Louis Isidore Duperrey, which visited Sydney, Australia, from 17 January - 25 March 1824, they visited Bathurst, and collected the holotype from the Macquarie River.

The first description of the species was offered by Baron Georges Cuvier in 1829, but this description is nowadays seen as a nomen nudum. Hence, the description by John Edward Gray in 1831 is considered the valid description.

E. macquarii uses the XY sex-determination system, making it one of the few turtle species that has a genetic SDM. The X and Y chromosomes are macrochromosomes, unlike most GSD turtles including its close relative Chelodina longicollis, which has microchromosomes. It is also hypothesized that this turtle's sex chromosomes were formed from the translocation of an ancestral Y microchromosome onto an autosome.

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Wikipedia