Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Suborder Pleurodira Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Testudines Family Chelidae | |
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Similar Elseya schultzei, Manning River snapping, Chelodina burrungandjii, Gulf snapping turtle, Emydura tanybaraga | ||
The Southern New Guinea Stream Turtle (Elseya rhodini) is a recently described aquatic species of Chelid turtle (Austro-South American Side Necks) found south of the central ranges of New Guinea. It inhabits small streams that flow into the major river drainage's south of the ranges.
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Etymology
The species was named in honor of Anders G. J. Rhodin the Chairman Emeritus of the IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) and founder of the Chelonian Research Foundation (CRF) who publish the journal Chelonian Conservation and Biology he had in the past also been involved in research in Papua New Guinea having described the species Chelodina parkeri and Chelodina pritchardi.
Taxonomy
Only recently separated from the Western New Guinea Stream Turtle, Elseya novaeguineae, it was demonstrated that the Elseya of New Guinea were long term inhabitants of the Island and had been subject to the major vicariance events from the formation of the Central Ranges. The degree of divergence was consistent between the molecular and morphological data and as such the species Elseya schultzei was resurrected and this new species was also described. In recognition of the 3 major clades within the Elseya that have been informally named for many years as the Queensland Elseya, New Guinea Elseya and Northern Elseya names were formally applied to these clades. Elseya rhodini was placed in a new subgenus Hanwarachelys along with Elseya novaeguineae and Elseya schultzei.