Caninemys, a new side-necked turtle (Pelomedusoides, Podocnemididae) from the Miocene of Brazil

Title Variants

Alternative: Caninemys, Miocene side-necked turtle

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3639

By

Meylan, Peter A. (Peter Andre)

Gaffney, Eugene S.
Campos, Diógenes de Almeida, 1943-

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY, American Museum of Natural History, c2009

Notes

Caption title.

"March 31, 2009."

A new genus and species of podocnemidid pleurodire, Caninemys tridentata, is described on the basis of a skull collected by L.I. Price in 1962 from the late Miocene of Acre, Brazil. It is unique among podocnemidids (and all other turtles) in having greatly inflated maxillae, each with a ventral, toothlike process. Along with a midline process of the premaxillae, these processes form a tridentate condition in the upper triturating surface, also unique among podocnemidids but comparable to the condition in the kinosternid Claudius. This skull has previously been identified as the shell-based genus Stupendemys, but there are no associations supporting this assignment. The type specimens are separated by over 2000 km, and other large podocnemidid taxa are known from this time and region. Although relatively large with a condylobasal skull length of about 17 cm, Caninemys was probably about half the size of Stupendemys. Phylogenetic analysis of 63 skeletal characters provides evidence that this new taxon nests within the family Podocnemididae as follows: (Bauruemys (2Roxochelys3 (Podocnemis (Caninemys (Dacquemys ((Erymnochelys, Peltocephalus) (Neochelys (Shweboemys, Stereogenys)))))))).

Subjects

Acre Region , Anatomy , Brazil , Caninemys , Caninemys tridentata , Maxilla , Miocene , Paleontology , Phylogeny , Podocnemididae , Reptiles, Fossil , Skull , Turtles , Turtles, Fossil

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3639 2009

Language

English

Identifiers

OCLC: 317629344