Hunter River Short-necked Turtle

About the Hunter River Short-necked Turtle

Emydura macquarii, also known as the Murray River turtle, Macquarie River turtle, eastern short-necked turtle, eastern short-neck turtle, and southern river turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. Named after the Macquarie River of New South Wales, the turtle is a wide-ranging species that occurs throughout many of the rivers of the eastern half of Australia.

The generic name, Emydura, is derived from the Greek emys (freshwater turtle) and the Greek oura (tail), Latinized to ura. Its grammatical gender is feminine. The specific epithet, macquarii, refers to the turtle's type locality: the Macquarie River. It would seem that the species was not named after Governor Lachlan Macquarie, for whom the river is named.

The species' common names include Murray River turtle, Macquarie River turtle, eastern short-necked turtle, eastern short-neck turtle, and southern river turtle. The subspecific name, emmotti, is in honour of Australian farmer and naturalist Angus Emmott (born 1962).

The subspecific name, krefftii, is in honour of German-born Australian naturalist Gerard Krefft. A species formerly thought to be a separate species, the Bellinger... Wikipedia →