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Elseya bellii 

Scope: Global
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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 Sawshelled Turtle, Bell's Turtle, Bell's Snapping Turtle, Namoi River Snapping Turtle, Western Sawshelled Turtle
Synonym(s):
Elseya belli (Gray, 1844) [orth.error]
Elseya sp. 1
Phrynops bellii Gray, 1844
Wollumbinia bellii (Gray, 1844)
Wollumbinia bellii ssp. dorriani Wells, 2007
Taxonomic Notes: This taxon was listed as Elseya sp. 1 in the 1996 and 2000 IUCN Red Lists. It was incorrectly spelled Elseya belli on the IUCN Red List from 2002, but corrected in 2009 to E. bellii following Rhodin et al. (2008).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered B1+2c ver 2.3
Year Published: 2016
Date Assessed: 1996-08-01
Annotations:
Needs updating
Assessor(s): Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Previously published Red List assessments:

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 occurrence:
Native:
Australia (New South Wales, Queensland)
Additional data:
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. 2016. Elseya bellii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T40758A97265406. . Downloaded on 29 September 2016.
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