Optimising the hatching success of artificially incubated eggs for use in a conservation program for the western saw-shelled turtle (Myuchelys bellii)

Artificial incubation of eggs and the release of hatchlings into the wild is a common conservation intervention designed to augment threatened turtle populations. We investigate a range of incubation temperatures to establish an optimal temperature for maximum hatching success of western saw-shelled turtle (Myuchelys bellii) eggs. We report on the influence of incubation temperature on incubation duration and hatching success and describe two experimental incubation methods which, for the same incubation temperature (27°C), resulted in 77% and 97% hatching success, respectively. Eggs were incubated at constant temperatures (27°C, 28°C and 29°C) to determine the influence of temperature on incubation period, hatchling morphology and external residual yolk. Incubation duration was negatively correlated with incubation temperature. We report on the morphology of eggs and hatchlings and show that their dimensions are positively correlated with maternal adult size and mass. A constant incubation temperature of 27°C produced the highest hatching success and smallest external residual yolk on hatching and is therefore recommended for incubation of eggs for population reinforcement programs. Our study is the first to optimise artificial incubation procedures for M. bellii and will be a valuable resource for M. bellii and other threatened freshwater turtle conservation initiatives

Turtles Forever: Securing populations of Bell's Turtle (Myuchelys bellii)

The 'Turtles Forever' project aims to secure populations of the threatened Bell's Turtle (Myuchelys bellii), a short-necked freshwater turtle restricted to upland streams in the Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers (NSW and QLD). A consortium of partners with expertise in land-management, turtle conservation and research, actively manage, protect and monitor remaining populations. Innovations such as a sniffer dog that detects nesting sites so that eggs can be protected from fox predation using exclusion mesh, and the development of an ex- situ incubation program for eggs are key actions to recover and secure this threatened turtle