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Elseya bellii

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA REPTILIA TESTUDINES CHELIDAE

Scientific Name: Elseya bellii
Species Authority: (Gray, 1844)
Common Name/s:
English – Bell's Snapping Turtle, Bell's Turtle, Namoi River Snapping Turtle
Synonym/s:
Elseya belli (Gray, 1844) [orth. error]
Elseya sp. 1 subspecies
Phrynops bellii Gray, 1844
Wollumbinia bellii (Gray, 1844)
Wollumbinia bellii subspecies dorriani Wells, 2007
Taxonomic Notes: Was listed as Elseya sp. 1 in the 1996 and 2000 IUCN Red Lists. Was thought to be incorrectly spelt as E. bellii on the IUCN Red List from 2002 to 2006, but amended again in late 2009 from to E. belli to E. bellii following  Rhodin et al. (2008).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered B1+2c ver 2.3
Year Published: 1996
Annotations:
Needs updating
Assessor/s: Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Reviewer/s:
Contributor/s:
History:
1996 – Endangered (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1996 – Endangered
1994 – Vulnerable (Groombridge 1994)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This species is known only from the headwaters of the Namoi and Gwydir Rivers, west of Armidale New South Wales, between 700 and 800 m asl. A disjunct and possibly distinct population also occurs in Bald Rock Creek, southeastern Queensland. The western boundary of the distribution coincides with where the rivers leave the escarpment before meeting the Darling River.
Countries:
Native:
Australia (New South Wales, Queensland)
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: Occurs in the upper reaches and smaller tributaries of major rivers flowing through granitic bedrock. The riverbed is sandy and rocky, with small beds of aquatic vegetation. Has terrestrial nest sites.

Much of the land surrounding the rivers is used for grazing sheep and cattle. Some riparian vegetation remains in the form of numerous Eucalypts and introduced willows.
Systems: Terrestrial; Freshwater
Citation: Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group 1996. Elseya bellii. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2013.
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