The Australian short-necked turtles, Emydura, are a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of turtle

Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...

s in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Chelidae

Chelidae

The Chelidae are one of the three living families of the turtle suborder Pleurodira and are commonly called the Austro-South American Side Neck turtles. The Family is distributed in Australia, New Guinea, parts of Indonesia and throughout most of South America. It is a large family of turtles with...

. It was paraphyletic with Elseya

Elseya

The Australian Snapping Turtles, Elseya Gray 1867, are a large genus of side-necked turtles in the family Chelidae found in river systems in northern and north eastern Australia and throughout the river systems of New Guinea...

. Consequently, it was split into two genera Myuchelys

Myuchelys

The Australian Saw Shelled Turtles, Myuchelys, are a genus of turtles in the family Chelidae. They inhabit the headwaters and tributaries of rivers within their range and this led to the name Myuchelys, which is formed from the Aboriginal words Myuna meaning high water and chelys meaning turtle...

and Elseya by Thomson & Georges, 2009.
They can grow quite large, 30 cm or more is not unusual and have a life span of around 20–30 years. They generally do not hibernate as their warmer climate lets them remain active all year round; they also spend more time in the water than other varieties.
They are considered omnivore but rely on a constant supply of meat to remain healthy, feeding on basically anything that will fit into their mouth.
They are characterised by a white strip starting at their nose and leading down their neck, as well as a more rigged shell.
In Australia, the public require a basic reptiles licence to purchase these animals; taking from the wild is strictly prohibited.
Species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 and notable subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 arranged according to most recent review of Georges & Thomson, 2010 are:

• Macquarie turtle
  Emydura macquarii
  The Murray River Turtle is a wide ranging species that occurs throughout many of the rivers of the eastern half of Australia. It is found primarily in the Murray River Basin and all its major tributaries, along with a number of coastal rivers up the New South Wales Coast...
  
  , Emydura macquarii
  Emydura macquarii
  The Murray River Turtle is a wide ranging species that occurs throughout many of the rivers of the eastern half of Australia. It is found primarily in the Murray River Basin and all its major tributaries, along with a number of coastal rivers up the New South Wales Coast...
  
  , Gray, 1830
  • Murray river turtle, Emydura macquarii macquarii
  • Krefft's turtle, Emydura macquarii krefftii
  • Fraser island short-neck turtle, Emydura macquarii nigra
  • Cooper creek turtle, Emydura macquarii emmotti
• Red-bellied short-necked turtle
  Red-bellied Short-necked Turtle
  The Red-bellied short-necked turtle or Jardine River turtle is a species of turtle in the Chelidae family....
  
   or Jardine River Turtle, Emydura subglobosa
  Red-bellied Short-necked Turtle
  The Red-bellied short-necked turtle or Jardine River turtle is a species of turtle in the Chelidae family....
  
  , Krefft 1876
  • Red-bellied short-necked turtle, Emydura subglobosa subglobosa
  • Worrell's short-necked turtle, Emydura subglobosa worrelli
• Northern yellow-faced turtle
  Emydura tanybaraga
  The yellow-faced turtle, is a medium sized aquatic turtle inhabiting rivers, streams and permanent water bodies across much of northern Australia....
  
  , Emydura tanybaraga
  Emydura tanybaraga
  The yellow-faced turtle, is a medium sized aquatic turtle inhabiting rivers, streams and permanent water bodies across much of northern Australia....
  
  , Cann, 1997
• Victoria river red-faced turtle
  Emydura victoriae
  The red-faced turtle, is a medium sized aquatic turtle inhabiting rivers, streams and permanent water bodies across much of northern Australia....
  
  , Emydura victoriae
  Emydura victoriae
  The red-faced turtle, is a medium sized aquatic turtle inhabiting rivers, streams and permanent water bodies across much of northern Australia....
  
  , Gray 1841