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In spite of the increasing number of demographic studies about freshwater turtles, very few have been focused on populations in semi-arid regions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to estimate the demographic parameters of testudine species in an area of Caatinga, North East Brazil, while focusing on the following objectives: (i) To estimate the size of the populations; (ii) to assess the sex ratio and sexual dimorphism; (iii) to correlate biological parameters with temperature and rainfall data. Sampling was carried out over 12 months, from August 2011 to July 2012, for a total of five days per month. Hoop traps and chicken bait were used for sampling. In total, 63 specimens from three different species were captured: 44 specimens of P. geoffroanus; nine specimens of Kinosternon scorpioides and 10 specimens of Mesoclemmys tuberculata. The population densities were as follows: approximately 9 turtles/ha to P. geoffroanus, 2 turtles/ha to M. tuberculata and 2 turtles/ha to K. scorpioides. 50% of recorded captures occurred in February and March 2012. P. geoffroanus exhibited a sex ratio of 1.53(♀):1(♂) (P=0.223), whereas the ratio for K. scorpioides was 1(♀):1.25(♂). Sexual dimorphism index, calculated using the mean number of male and female carapaces, was 1.06 (deviated for females) for P. geoffroanus and 1.04 (deviated for males) for K. scopioides. It was not possible to deduce the sexual dimorphism or the sex ratio for M. tuberculata as only female specimens were captured. The data reported herein will be useful in the composition of management and conservation plans for testudine species found in areas of Caatinga, as well as for further studies in this morphoclimatic domain, which minimally studied in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe and discuss the population structure and activity pattern of the poorly known species Phrynops tuberosus, the Cotinga River Toad-headed Turtle, in the Banabuiú River in the semi-arid Caatinga, Ceará. Animals were captured by snorkelling between December 2011 and November 2012. We captured 134 animals (94 males, 24 females and 16 juveniles), a sex ratio of 3.92:1 males/females was found, and the population of P. tuberosus consisted mainly of medium to large sized adults. Air temperature and monthly precipitation did not influence the number of captured individuals, which was similar throughout the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature's ruling on an application to give precedence to the name Chelodina rugosa over Chelodina oblonga for the northern long-necked turtle from northern Australia whenever they are considered to be synonyms. It provides a background of the application which was submitted by University of Canberra's S. A. Thomson on May 11, 2005. The commission reportedly rejects the application as it failed to meet the two-thirds majority vote that is required for approval. The proposal received five affirmative votes and 18 negative votes.

Abstract: Nine microsatellite DNA loci for the Australian broad-shelled freshwater turtle (Chelodina expansa) are presented. Markers were tailed with 20-mer oligonucleotides for use in four-colour fluorescent multiplex PCRs. The markers show high allelic richness (mean N A =10.9, range 2–38) and expected heretozygosity (mean H E =0.643; range 0.161–0.963) indicating that they will be valuable for population genetics studies in C. expansa. Cross-species amplification in three Australian freshwater turtle species further highlights the potential utility of these markers, particularly in the side-neck species C. longicollis and C. rugosa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new chelid species (Prochelidella cerrobarcinae nov. sp.) are described from the Aptian-Albian? Puesto La Paloma Member, Cerro Barcino Formation, northern of Chubut Province, Argentina. The basal section of this member, which bears the turtle remains, is composed of tuffaceous mudstones with plane parallel lamination, asymmetrical ripples and a chert intercalation suggesting sub-aqueous deposition in a relatively shallow lacustrine environment. Pr. cerrobarcinae nov. sp. is represented by post-cranial remains of several specimens that not only represents the oldest pleurodiran chelid record in the world but, together with the chelid remains of Albian Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia, indicates that chelid diversification began well before the final fragmentation of southern Gondwana. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study describing a new species of parasites Aptorchis kuchlingi n. sp. (Digenea: Plagiorchioidea) of the freshwater oblong turtle Chelodina oblonga (Pleurodira: Chelidae) in Western Australia. Specimens of the new digenean species were taken from the rectums of eight C. oblonga collected in five different localities. A. kuchlingi is the sixth species Aptorchis to be described and is found to share the greatest DNA sequence similarity with A. pearsoni and A. megacetabulus.

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The article discusses a study on the specimen Camallanus tuckeri n. sp. from freshwater turtles in Kimberley, Western Australia. The parasites were found in the intestines of the side-necked turtles and it was found that it differs from Camallanus chelonius, the species in found African turtles. The study showed that Camallanus tuckeri n. sp. is the second species that has a median buccal capsule ridge. The C. tuckeri n. sp. is the first of the genus found in turtles in the region.

A new species of a long-necked chelid from the uppermost Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian) is presented in this contribution. Yaminuechelys sulcipeculiaris sp. nov. is found in outcrops of the La Colonia Formation in the northeast part of Chubut province, Argentina. This new species is mainly represented by carapacial, plastral, and postcranial remains (vertebrae and long bones). It was assigned to Yaminuechelys because it presents characters shared with the species Yaminuechelys gasparinii de la Fuente, Lapparent de Broin, and Manera de Bianco, 2001 and Yaminuechelys maior (Staesche, 1929). Those characters are a large shell with irregular polygons distributed on the external surface, the difference in length between the anterior and posterior peripheral bones, and the neural series separated from the suprapygal bones. Other characters, like the position of the sulcus between vertebral 5 and marginal 12 crossing the suprapygal and the location of the sulcus between the vertebral 5 and the marginal 11 crossing the costal 8 and suprapygal, suggest it is a new species. According to the phylogenetic analysis performed, the new species forms a monophyletic group together with Y. maior , and Y. gasparinii. The survival of Yaminuechelys to the K/Pg extinction event is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]