Zoologi/.} NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. \_Replilia. 



Plates 92 and 93. 



CHELODINA LONGICOLLIS (Shaw sp.). 

 Long-necked River Tortoise. 



[Genus CHELODINA (Gray). (Sub-kingdom Vertebrata. Class Reptilia. Section 

 Catapbracta. Order Cbelonia. Sub-order Pleuroderes. Family Clielydida3. Sub-family 

 Ilydraspidina;.) 



Gen. Char. — Head long, flat ; covered witb tbin skin ; muzzle sbort ; mouth wide ; jaws 

 narrow, weak, witbout notches ; no barbels under chin. Neck very long. Plastron wide, 

 rounded in front, solidly fixed to the carapace ; sternal Avings very short ; 25 marginal plates 

 to the carapace, and 13 to the i^lastron ; a nuchal plate ; intergular plate larger than the gulars. 

 Four toes of the five claws ou each foot. Tail very short. Australia.] 



Description. — Form: Carapace oblono-, ovate, slig-htly narrowed in front, 

 obtusely ang'ulate behind ; a variable convexity with a deep wide channel along- the 

 2nd, 3rd, and 4tli vertebral plates, more marked in old specimens j nuchal plate 

 between the margino-collar (12) -, the plates of the marg-in are less than half the 

 width at the sides, as over the neck, limbs, and tail, and are abruptl}'' reflected or 

 curled upwards, so that the outer edg-e is nearly in contact with the inner margin ; 

 moderately arched over the thig-hs, and angularly elevated at inner margin of 

 caudals ; profile of back g'ently arched, deepest behind the middle, falling' suddenly 

 to the posterior end, more g-radually towards the front. Plates:^ Nuchal plate (10) 

 larg-e, quadrilateral, varying* from one-third long'er than wide to twice as long' as 

 wide, between the margino-collars (12), which are trapezoidal j marg-ino-brachials 

 quadrangular, a little long-er than wide, the first pair (13) with the anterior margin 

 wider than the posterior; second pair (14) with anterior margin wider than posterior; 

 first marg'ino-laterals (15) smaller than the posterior marg'ino-brachial ; second 

 marg'ino-lateral (16) rectangular; 3rd (17) and 4th (18) rhomboidal; 5th (19) 

 oblong', wider behind than before; margino-femorals (20, 21, 22) quadrate; supra- 

 caudals (11) trapezoidal. First vertebral plate (1) octag-onal, larger than the others, 

 touching' the nuchal, the marg'ino-coUar, and the first marg'ino-brachial, posterior 

 side concave; 2nd (2) and 3rd (3) hexagonal; 4th (4) hexagonal, anterior side 

 wider than the posterior. The 5th vertebral plate (5) is an isoceles triangle with 

 truncated apex, with five angles at base behind; the last costal plates (9) have 

 nearly the same shape as the 5th vertebral, but are larger. All the plates of cara- 

 pace with a few concentric lines at margin, and obtuse, irregular, nodular ridges 

 and tubercles longitudinal on the vertebral plates, and transverse on the costal 

 plates ; plates of plastron nearly smooth, finely netted in the middle. Plastron very 

 wide, the width varying from wider in front than behind to narrower in front than 

 behind, some equal ; rounded in front, and with a V-shaped notch behind, the angles 

 of which are obtusely rounded ; the sternal wings are about one-fourth as wide as 

 the plastron, and about one-third its length, bent up strongly towards the carapace ; 

 intergular plate (la) very large, hexagonal, the two posterior sides longest and 

 forming an acute angle posteriorly, surrounded by the three first pairs of sternal 

 plates (1, 2, 3); gular plates (I) four-sided, wider than long, inner side shorter 

 than outer margin ; humerals (2) trapezoidal, larger than the gulars, but half the 

 size of the pectorals (3); pectorals pentagonal, two right angles behind, one in 



* The numbers designating the individual plates will be found on a diagram in our plate of Chdemys 

 Macquaria, Plate 83. 



Dec. X. [ 9 ] B 



