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Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Benthopelagic; depth range 0 - 200 m (Ref. 1397). Tropical; 6°S - 38°S, 109°E - 157°E (Ref. 1397)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Indo-West Pacific: endemic to Australia.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 96.0 cm CL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1397); max. published weight: 84.0 kg (Ref. 1397)

Short description Morphology

Adult: body flat, and carapace smooth, nearly elliptical with upturned margins. In subadults: carapace rim indented from middle to the back. Head: medium-sized, subtriangular, flat on top. Snout: longer and nearly equal to orbit. Scutes: ventrally consists of 6 pairs of main scutes, one intergular scute, a pair of postanal scutes and 4 poreless inframarginal scutes in each bridge with only one axillary scale in each bridge. Single visible claw in each flipper. Color: adults dorsally dull olive-grey with pale brownish yellow tones marginally; neck and head pale tone. Plastron ventrally are creamy white. Young individuals: brightly colored. Hatchlings: carapace scutes form a dark grey reticulate pattern; each scute are pale olive green; carapace rim and flippers are cream-colored band. Ventrally cream-white, except central part of each flipper which is bluish-grey diffuse spot.

This species inhabits the shallow waters especially on coral reef areas like Great Barrier Reef and continental islands. Nesting only takes place in Australia. The peak season varies in localities: in southeast Queensland, November to January; in northern beaches, occurs throughout the year with a peak between March and April. Renesting interval usually lasts from 12 to 23 days. The nesting cycle at Mon Repos, ranges from 1 to 5 years with a mean of 2.65 years. Used as a value for subsistence and for some people the meat is considered as poisonous that is why local consumption is low (Ref. 1397).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Australia is the only place for nesting. The peak season varies in localities: in southeast Queensland, November to January; in northern beaches, occurs throughout the year with a peak between March and April. Renesting interval usually ranges from 12 to 23 days. The nesting cycle at Mon Repos, ranges from 1 to 5 years with a mean of 2.65 years (Ref. 1397). Temperature-dependent Sex Determination (TSD) is demonstrated in this species (Ref. 83973).

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Hirth, H.F. 1993. (Ref. 97534)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 01 September 1996

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Appendix I: International trade banned

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Appendix II: Migratory species conserved through agreements

Threat to humans

Poisonous to eat

Human uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 22.4 - 28.7, mean 27.5 (based on 1182 cells).

Resilience (Ref. 69278): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.07-0.1).

Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): High vulnerability (58 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

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