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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 35(7)

Freshwater turtles of the Kikori Drainage, Papua New Guinea, with special reference to the pig-nosed turtle, Carettochelys insculpta

Arthur Georges A D , Erika Alacs A , Matthew Pauza B C , Felix Kinginapi C , Amos Ona C and Carla Eisemberg A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

B Biodiversity Conservation Branch, Department of Primary Industries and Water, GPO Box 44, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.

C Worldwide Fund for Nature, Kikori River Program, PO Box 8280, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea.

D Corresponding author. Email: georges@aerg.canberra.edu.au

Wildlife Research 35(7) 700-711 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR07120
Submitted: 25 August 2007  Accepted: 7 February 2008   Published: 17 November 2008

Abstract

A survey of the Kikori River drainage of the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea identified four species of freshwater turtle. The pig-nosed turtle Carettochelys insculpta and the southern New Guinea soft-shelled turtle Pelochelys bibroni are riverine species. The New Guinea spotted turtle Elseya novaeguineae lives primarily in the tidal freshwater creeks and streams, flooded sinkholes and swamps of the lowland rainforest. The New Guinea painted turtle Emydura subglobosa resides almost exclusively in forest sinkholes and swamps. Pelochelys bibroni was the least-common species, and is probably locally endangered. Greatest turtle diversity occurred in the Karst Plains of the Kikori sub-basin, where there is a greater diversity of habitat available to turtles. Lowest diversity occurred in the highlands, where turtles were present in very low density as introduced populations, brought in from the Kikori lowlands, Mount Bosavi and the Western Province by visiting relatives. Linguistic diversity concurred with turtle diversity of the regions in which the languages were spoken. C. insculpta nests both on riverine sand beaches and on coastal beaches, sand spits and isolated sand bars where the Kikori River discharges into the Gulf of Papua. Adult females and eggs of C. insculpta are harvested heavily by local people for local consumption.


Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the many people who assisted us in the field, but especially Bagi Oni and Ivan Enoch for their exceptional efforts and companionship. Steven Dekene, Graham Peters, Robert Kiapranis, Arnold Moi, Bobby Dara and Sarah Ekali from Oil Search assisted greatly with logistics. We are grateful to all the villages we visited for sharing their knowledge with us and for their efforts in securing and holding turtles for us. We are particularly grateful to Ruth Pivoru (Kopi), Sikro Bawuno (Ario), Waike Arari (Apu), Mark Pivaro (Kopi), Patrick Ito and Aroia Simoi (Porapo) and William Gamou (Babai) for access to their lands and assistance in the field. The Papua New Guinea Department of Environment and Conservation and Lance Hill of the University of Papua New Guinea assisted us in gaining permission to undertake this research. Our study would not have been possible without the contacts and exceptional goodwill established by the Worldwide Fund for Nature in the areas we visited. Author Felix Kinginapi undertook this work while in the employ and with the support of the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Kikori River Program, PO Box 8280, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea. Barbara Roy of the Department of Environment and Conservation assisted greatly with permits. Damien Fordham and Garrick Hitchcock provided comments on drafts of this report. This project was funded by Oil Search, with in-kind support provided by the Worldwide Fund for Nature.


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