Cearachelys, a new side-necked turtle (Pelomedusoides, Bothremydidae) from the early Cretaceous of Brazil

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3319

By

Gaffney, Eugene S.

Campos, Diógenes de Almeida, 1943-
Hirayama, Ren, 1956-

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY American Museum of Natural History c2001

Notes

Caption title.

"February 27, 2001."

The early Cretaceous Santana Formation exposed on the Chapada do Araripe in Ceará State, northeastern Brazil, has yielded remains of a side-necked turtle, Cearachelys placidoi, new genus and species. Cearachelys is based on two skeletons, each consisting of articulated shell, associated skull, and postcrania in varying degrees of completeness. Cearachelys is a pelomedusoid pleurodire belonging to the family Bothremydidae Baur, 1891, based on these bothremydid characters: (1) precolumellar fossa absent, (2) occipital condyle consisting only of exoccipitals, (3) foramen stapedio-temporale anteriorly facing, and (4) exoccipital contacts quadrate. Within the Bothremydidae, Cearachelys is best resolved as the sister group of Bothremys, Rosasia, Foxemys, Zolhafah, and Polysternon. Cearachelys differs from the other two pleurodires in the Santana Formation in the bothremydid characters listed above and in having a quadrate-basioccipital contact, a prootic completely covered in ventral view, and a high lingual ridge on the lower jaw.

Subjects

Brazil , Ceará (State) , Cearachelys placidoi , Cretaceous , Paleontology , Reptiles, Fossil , Turtles, Fossil

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3319 2001

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2001)319<0001:CANSNT>2.0.CO;2
OCLC: 46401436