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Euclastes acutirostris n.sp. Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco, Palaeocene (Danian-Thanetian), holotype OCP.DEK/GE 408, skull in: A, dorsal, B, ventral, C, D, left and right lateral, E, anterior and F, posterior views. Photographs. Scale bars: 3 cm. Euclastes acutirostris n.sp. Bassin des Oulad Abdoun, Maroc, Paléocène (Danien-Thanétien), holotype OCP.DEK/GE 408, crâne en vues : A, dorsale, B, ventrale, C, D, latérales gauche et droite, E, antérieure et F, postérieure. Échelles : 3 cm.
Source publication
A new species of the littoral cheloniid turtle Euclastes, E. acutirostris, is proposed, on the basis of a skull from the Palaeocene Phosphates of Morocco, the first turtle record from the Sidi Chennane area. It is estimated to be Danian-Thanetian in age, possibly younger than the previous Danian Moroccan specimens of Euclastes. It differs from the...
Contexts in source publication
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... ventral surface of the skull is well preserved with only slight dis- placement of some bones, in particular the articulating branches of the quadrate. The inner cerebral cavity structure is barely visible and partly crushed dorsally (Figs. 2 and 3). bo, basioccipital; bs, basisphenoid; cav cr, cavum cranii; col, columella auris; em, ventral emargination; ex, exoccipital; ex n, odd external nares; fon, foramen orbitonasale; fpos, fossa postotica; foti v, view on the fossa temporalis interior or palatal fossa; fpci, foramen posterior canalis carotici interni; fr, frontal; fpmx a, foramen premaxillare supero-anterius; fpmx p, foramen premaxillare supero-posterius; ftp, fossa temporalis posterior (or "superior"); i col, incisura columellae auris; itf b, inferior temporal fossa anterior border; ju, jugal; ju pr, infero-posterior jugal process; l pfr, left prefrontal; l po, left postorbital; mx, maxilla; op, opisthotic; orb, orbit; pa, parietal; pal, palatal; pale, anterior palate in ventro-posterior view; pfr, prefrontal; pmx, premaxilla; po, postorbital; pp, processus pterygoideus externus; pr, prootic; pt, pterygoid; q, quadrate; qj, quadratojugal; r po, right postorbital, sq, squamosal, soc, supraoccipital; vo, vomer. ...
Context 2
... dorsal view, the skull of E. acutirostris n. sp. (OCP.DEK/GE 408, Figs. 2 and 3A), is triangular in shape with a wide and rounded posterior region, mod- Table 2 Snout index (ratio of the sagittal length, from the premaxillae anterior extremity up to the ventral anterior extremity of the fossa temporalis inferior, on the snout ventral width at this extremity) of E. acutirostris n. sp., Sidi Chennane, Palaeocene, ...
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... in E. wielandi and Erquelinnesia skulls (as in Eretmochelys within the extant Cheloniidae). In the "eochelyine" Puppigerus, the snout is particularly long for the skull length but as long as narrow at the temporal fossae. The snout of E. acutirostris forms an apomorphic hook, together premaxillary and maxillary (visible laterally and anteriorly, Fig. 2, C-E) as the bony hook present in some extant genera below the hook constituted by the horny ramphoteca (bony hook absent or only premaxillary hook in others) ( [18,62]; MNHN collections). The narial opening is quadrangular, occu- pying nearly all the snout width, and dorso-anteriorly directed. Its plane forms, in lateral view, an ...
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... narial opening is quadrangular, occu- pying nearly all the snout width, and dorso-anteriorly directed. Its plane forms, in lateral view, an angle of 40 • with the ventral plane of the premaxillae (Figs. 2 and 3, C, D) (53 • in E. wielandi from the Palaeogene of Morocco phosphates) [27]; 64 • in a French specimen of Erquelinnesia, from the Bracheux sands, Thanetian, MNHN 2008 1-1 [33]; Figs. in [13,49], 46 • in Euclastes hutchisoni [38] from the Miocene of California). The lateral surfaces of the snout converge anteriorly and are flat and inclined; with the flat dorsal surface, they give to the snout a trapezoidal form in transverse section. ...
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... orbits are longer than high and face latero-dorsally. The infra-orbital bar, comprised of the maxillary and the jugal (Figs. 2 and 3), is narrow in dorsal view and low in lateral view. The preserved part of the skull roof is dominated by the parietals and the postorbitals, and posteriorly relatively few emarginated taking into account the missing squamosals (Fig. 3A). ...
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... view. The preserved part of the skull roof is dominated by the parietals and the postorbitals, and posteriorly relatively few emarginated taking into account the missing squamosals (Fig. 3A). The crista supraaoccipitalis extends slightly beyond the parietals. Numerous small to large nutrient foramina cover the surface that bore the horny bill ( Fig. 2A-D). As in other cheloniids with a developed secondary palate, there are no foramina praepalatina. When present, these foramina are formed by the vomer and the premaxilla and transmit the anterior nasal arteries from the palate into the nasal tissue. Instead, as in extant marine forms, two pairs of anterior foramina are present on the ...
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... anterior nasal arteries from the palate into the nasal tissue. Instead, as in extant marine forms, two pairs of anterior foramina are present on the dorsal surface of the premaxillary: two foramina on the floor of the nasal cavity on both sides of medial line (Fig. 3A, fpmx p) and the second pair, elongate, in front of the narial opening (fpmx a, Figs. 2 and ...
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... scute sulci are visible on the skull roof (Figs. 2 and 3), conforming to the "Euclastes group" as a whole [16,27]: medially, the posterior limits of an anterior fronto-prefrontal scute; a somewhat rectangular medial fronto-parietal; medial hexagonal parietal 1 and pentagonal parietal 2; laterally, a wide fronto-postorbito- parietal (up to the orbit), a narrow rectangular parietal, and a wider and external rectangular parieto-postorbital; on the lateral face, an elongated postorbito-jugal and a jugal ventrally. ...
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... on the prefrontals, just above the narial opening. The vertical descending processes of the prefrontals form the posterior wall of the nasal cavity and the lateral margins of the fissura ethmoidalis (for the transmission of the olfactory [I] nerve) and the anterior orbit border, partly limiting the orbito-nasal foramen. The fissura ethmoidalis (Fig. 2E) is heart-shaped and widely enlarged dorsally. The orbito-nasal foramen is visible in dorsal (Figs. 2 and 3 A) and lateral views (Figs. 2 and 3, C, D). It is short and nearly horizontal as in Erquelinnesia and in the specimens of Fastovsky, 1985 andHirayama andTong, 2003 [16,27] attributed to Euclastes wielandi. In the orbit, the ...
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... fissura ethmoidalis (Fig. 2E) is heart-shaped and widely enlarged dorsally. The orbito-nasal foramen is visible in dorsal (Figs. 2 and 3 A) and lateral views (Figs. 2 and 3, C, D). It is short and nearly horizontal as in Erquelinnesia and in the specimens of Fastovsky, 1985 andHirayama andTong, 2003 [16,27] attributed to Euclastes wielandi. ...
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... fissura ethmoidalis (Fig. 2E) is heart-shaped and widely enlarged dorsally. The orbito-nasal foramen is visible in dorsal (Figs. 2 and 3 A) and lateral views (Figs. 2 and 3, C, D). It is short and nearly horizontal as in Erquelinnesia and in the specimens of Fastovsky, 1985 andHirayama andTong, 2003 [16,27] attributed to Euclastes wielandi. ...
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... acutirostris n. sp. possesses a posterior process on the jugal (Figs. 2 and 3, C and D), which antero-inferiorly surrounds the lateral cheek emargination. This process is narrow and long enough to allow definition of the contour of the emargination, showing that it is deeper posteri- orly than in any another known member of Euclastes. ...
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... which antero-inferiorly surrounds the lateral cheek emargination. This process is narrow and long enough to allow definition of the contour of the emargination, showing that it is deeper posteri- orly than in any another known member of Euclastes. A shorter and more massive process is seen only in one of the other Moroccan skulls ( [27], text- fig. 2, on one side) reattributed to E. wielandi ...
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... over itself and is posteriorly directed (angle ca 50 • ) (Fig. 3C). There is no contact between the quadrate and the jugal or the postorbital. The pro- cessus articularis extends below the ventral border of the maxillary. The left columella auris is preserved and is well exposed in posterior view inside a well-opened incisura columellae auris (Figs. 2F and 3E). It is a thin and slightly curved bony rod extending from the cavum tympani to the fenestra ...
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The first cryptodiran turtle with a pitted palate, Brachyopsemys tingitana gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of skulls and a lower jaw from the early Paleocene (Danian) of the Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco. The new taxon shares a number of apomorphic features with Sandownia harrisi from the Aptian of the Isle of White, England, Angolachelys...
Citations
... These specimens were scanned using a For comparison, we have used the data on the following taxa of Cheloniidae: Argillochelys antiqua (Konig, 1825) from the Ypresian "London Clay" Formation, England (Owen and Bell, 1849;Lydekker, 1889), as well as from the Upper Lutetian-Lower Bartonian Kiev Formation, the Vyshgorod locality, Ukraine (Zvonok and Danilov, 2017) (Zangerl, 1953: fig. 63c); Erquelinnesia gosseleti (Dollo, 1886) from the Thanetian of the lower part of the Landen Group, Belgium (Zangerl, 1971), as well as its probable synonyms Glossochelys planimentum (Owen, 1842) and partly Puppigerus crassicostatus (Owen, 1849) from the Ypresian deposits of the Harwich locality, England (Owen and Bell, 1849); Euclastes spp.: Euclastes acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009 from the Paleocene of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco (Jalil et al., 2009) andE. wielandi (Hay, 1908) from the type Maastrichtian-Danian Hornerstown Formation, USA (Ullmann and Carr, 2021); "Euclastes" douvillei de Stefano, 1902 from the Ypresian deposits of the Gafsa-Metlaoui Basin, Tunisia (Bergounioux, 1952); Osonachelus decorata Lapparent de Broin et al., 2014 from the Priabonian Vic-Manlleu marls Formation, Spain (Lapparent de Broin et al., 2014); Puppigerus camperi (Gray, 1831) from the Ypresian London Clay Formation (England), as well as the Lutetian Bracklesham Group, England (Owen and Bell, 1849;Lydekker, 1889;Moody et al., 2015), the Lower Lutetian Brussel Formation, Belgium (Moody, 1974), the Ypresian of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco (Tong et al., 2012), the Ypresian Nanjemoy Formation, USA (Weems, 1999(Weems, , 2014, the Lower Lutetian Ikovo locality, Russia (Zvonok et al., 2013), the Lutetian-Bartonian boundary Dzheroi 2 locality, Uzbekistan (Averianov, 2005). ...
... These specimens were scanned using a For comparison, we have used the data on the following taxa of Cheloniidae: Argillochelys antiqua (Konig, 1825) from the Ypresian "London Clay" Formation, England (Owen and Bell, 1849;Lydekker, 1889), as well as from the Upper Lutetian-Lower Bartonian Kiev Formation, the Vyshgorod locality, Ukraine (Zvonok and Danilov, 2017) (Zangerl, 1953: fig. 63c); Erquelinnesia gosseleti (Dollo, 1886) from the Thanetian of the lower part of the Landen Group, Belgium (Zangerl, 1971), as well as its probable synonyms Glossochelys planimentum (Owen, 1842) and partly Puppigerus crassicostatus (Owen, 1849) from the Ypresian deposits of the Harwich locality, England (Owen and Bell, 1849); Euclastes spp.: Euclastes acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009 from the Paleocene of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco (Jalil et al., 2009) andE. wielandi (Hay, 1908) from the type Maastrichtian-Danian Hornerstown Formation, USA (Ullmann and Carr, 2021); "Euclastes" douvillei de Stefano, 1902 from the Ypresian deposits of the Gafsa-Metlaoui Basin, Tunisia (Bergounioux, 1952); Osonachelus decorata Lapparent de Broin et al., 2014 from the Priabonian Vic-Manlleu marls Formation, Spain (Lapparent de Broin et al., 2014); Puppigerus camperi (Gray, 1831) from the Ypresian London Clay Formation (England), as well as the Lutetian Bracklesham Group, England (Owen and Bell, 1849;Lydekker, 1889;Moody et al., 2015), the Lower Lutetian Brussel Formation, Belgium (Moody, 1974), the Ypresian of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco (Tong et al., 2012), the Ypresian Nanjemoy Formation, USA (Weems, 1999(Weems, , 2014, the Lower Lutetian Ikovo locality, Russia (Zvonok et al., 2013), the Lutetian-Bartonian boundary Dzheroi 2 locality, Uzbekistan (Averianov, 2005). ...
The article describes fossil remains of turtles from the Kudinovka locality (Paleogene, Paleocene or Ypresian; Millerovo District, Rostov Province, Russia). These remains, represented by 16 specimens, are referred to the sea turtle Tasbacka aldabergeni Nessov, 1987 (Cheloniidae), previously reliably known only from the type locality Zhylga 1 (Paleogene, Late Thanetian–Early Ypresian; southern Kazakhstan). One of the described specimens represents the most part of the postcranial skeleton in the phosphate nodule and appears to be the most complete postcranial specimen of Tasbacka aldabergeni, which gives information about previously unknown details of morphology of this species. The new materials expand our knowledge of the geographical distribution of Tasbacka aldabergeni and the genus Tasbacka in general.
... The fossil record of turtles in Africa, including the Middle East region, is still mostly comprised of pleurodires and stem-turtles, with most of the reports of cryptodires surging through the last decade, with most of the reported chelonian material originating from Northern Africa, mainly from the phosphate basins of Morocco (Andrews, 1919 (Tong & Hirayama, 2002), Euclastes sp. (Hirayama & Tong, 2003;Parham, 2005), 'Argillochelys' africana (Tong & Hirayama, 2006), Euclastes acutirostris (Jalil et al., 2009), Puppigerus camperi (Tong et al., 2012), the aberrant Alienochelys selloumi (Lapparent de Broin et al., 2014a) and Ocepechelon bouyai (Bardet et al., 2013), these latter two considered as protostegids ( (Andrews, 1919;Karl, 2002;Fallon & Boessenecker, 2020), the Saudi Arabian dermochelyid Arabemys crassiscutata (Tong et al., 1999;Fallon & Boessenecker, 2020), the Lebanese protostegid Rhinochelys nammourensis , and by the Jordanian chelonioid Gigantatypus salahi (Kaddumi, 2006). The only known location with fossil marine turtle taxa in Southern Africa discovered so far is in Angola, with reports of assemblages with fossil marine turtle diversity rivaling that of Morocco. ...
... Other analyses supported the monophyly with Euclastes based on the synapomorphies on the characters 57, 58, 132 of Ullmann and Carr (2021). Due to Euclastes platyops(Cope, 1867) and Euclastes acutirostris(Jalil et al., 2009) being known from only cranial elements, it is currently impossible to establish their connection with Euclastes sp. MGUAN-PA 277. ...
The locality of Bentiaba, in the Namibe Basin, Angola, is one of the richest and most diverse fossiliferous outcrops of the Southern Hemisphere regarding marine vertebrates, with the expeditions from the Project PaleoAngola recovering various taxa such as bony fishes, sharks, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, and sea turtles. Here I reported a new specimen of a stem cheloniid recovered from the Lower Maastrichtian of Bentiaba, consisting of post-cranial remains, including the shell, plastron, more than ten vertebrae, one coracoid, and one metatarsal bone. Phylogenetic analysis places the Bentiaba specimen within Euclastes, but morphological comparison with Euclastes postcranial reveals differences. Euclastes was previously reported to Bentiaba, based on skull and postcranial material, but without any species attribution. The phylogenetic analysis resulted in various unexpected results, such as the placement of presumed cheloniids, such as Eochelone brabantica and Procolpochelys grandaeva as stem-dermochelyids, Ctenochelys stenoporus placed outside of Ctenochelyidae, and instead inserted in a polytomy with the aberrant chelonioid Allopleuron hofmanni and the dubious taxon Lophochelys, and placing Protostegidae and Angolachelonia within Chelonioidea, nesting Angolachelonia as sister taxon with Stem-Cheloniidae.
... Several Maastrichtian-age turtles with unique cranial morphologies are present in the formation (Jalil et al., 2009;Bardet et al., 2013Bardet et al., , 2017de Broin et al., 2014), although their plausibility for predating on large pycnodonts is very low: Euclastes had a small skull no bigger than 178 mm L by 146 mm W, with a narrow snout (Jalil et al., 2009) and is considered durophagous (de Broin et al., 2014). Alienochelys selloumi with a short skull (375 mm L by 355 mm W) is well adapted for a durophagous lifestyle (de Broin et al., 2014). ...
... Several Maastrichtian-age turtles with unique cranial morphologies are present in the formation (Jalil et al., 2009;Bardet et al., 2013Bardet et al., , 2017de Broin et al., 2014), although their plausibility for predating on large pycnodonts is very low: Euclastes had a small skull no bigger than 178 mm L by 146 mm W, with a narrow snout (Jalil et al., 2009) and is considered durophagous (de Broin et al., 2014). Alienochelys selloumi with a short skull (375 mm L by 355 mm W) is well adapted for a durophagous lifestyle (de Broin et al., 2014). ...
Isolated jaw elements (vomers, prearticulars, premaxillae) of pycnodont fishes (Actinopterygii: Pycnodontiformes) occur frequently within the Moroccan Oulad Abdoun phosphate assemblages, although their taphonomy has remained unstudied. Recent collecting has identified two conflicting taphonomies: unetched (unaltered) and etched. Three etched jaw specimens of Phacodus punctatus Dixon, 1850 display severe pitting, corrosive marking and enamel discolouration characteristics on the bone and teeth, strongly inferring them to be regurgitalites. Regurgitalites are fossilised remains of partial or undigested skeletal elements that have been ejected from the mouth of the producer. Taphonomy of these etched specimens is attributed to partial transport through the gut of a larger vertebrate where they were partially digested before being regurgitated orally. Different macropredators in the assemblage are scored on their physiological capabilities of being the producer, with a large mosasaur like Prognathodon being the most plausible culprit. Regurgitalites are previously unreported in the formation, further adding to our understanding of the complex trophic food webs in the latest Cretaceous of Morocco. The elusive form and function of the characteristic dental ‘pits’ in the genus Phacodus are additionally investigated using thin section petrography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
... Select character scorings for Euclastes platyops Cope, 1867 were revised from those in the matrix of Scavezzoni & Fischer (2018) based on personal observations of holotype specimen ANSP 10187 and figures in Hay (1908): characters 1 (changed from state 0 to state 1), 57 (changed from state 1 to state 2), 262 (changed from ? to state 0), and 263 (changed from ? to state 0). Character 103 was scored as state 0 for Euclastes acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009 based on descriptions by Jalil et al. (2009). Character scorings for Euclastes wielandi were augmented from those in the 'chelonioid matrix' of Scavezzoni & Fischer (2018) based on the anatomy of RU-EFP-00004 described herein, personal observations of NJSM 11872, prior descriptions of referred specimens (Zangerl 1953;Fastovsky 1985;Parris et al. 1986;Hirayama 2006;Ullmann et al. 2018), and personal observations of referred but as-yet undescribed specimens (RU-EFP-00020, -00031, and -01759) in the RU-EFP Collection (see Supplementary material, Table S1 and Figs S1-S5). ...
The famous ‘Bone Wars’ between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh resulted in the naming of numerous vertebrate taxa from the Cretaceous formations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, including many species that have since been shown to be of indeterminate affinities or synonyms of each other. Here, we describe a new specimen of the pan-cheloniid turtle Euclastes named by Cope in 1867 which demonstrates that another pan-cheloniid he named in 1870, Catapleura, is actually the same taxon. Each of these genera were originally based on incomplete and fragmentary remains from the Paleocene of New Jersey, with Euclastes named for a partial skull and Catapleura named for partial carapace bones, and their poor fossil records have generated considerable taxonomic confusion and debate for over 150 years. The new skeleton, recovered from the earliest Danian Main Fossiliferous Layer (MFL) of the Hornerstown Formation, includes a rostrum and mandible exhibiting autapomorphies of Euclastes wielandi (Hay, 1908 Hay, O. P. 1908. The fossil turtles of North America. Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication, 75, 1–568. [Google Scholar]) (e.g. dentary with an elongated symphysis) and a carapace and plastron exhibiting autapomorphies of Catapleura repanda Cope, 1870 Cope, E. D. 1870. Synopsis of the extinct Batrachia, Reptilia and Aves of North America. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, New Series, 14, 1–252.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] (e.g. no contact between second suprapygal and eleventh peripheral), demonstrating that they are synonyms. Taxonomic priority is given to the senior synonym Euclastes. By incorporating character scorings based on the new specimen into a revised phylogenetic analysis, we found Euclastes to occupy a derived position within Pan-Cheloniidae, with close relationships to Mexichelys Brinkman et al., 2009 Brinkman, D. B., Aquillon-Martinez, M. C., Dávila, C. A., Jamniczky, H., Eberth, D. A. & Colbert, M. 2009. Euclastes coahuilaensis sp. nov., a basal cheloniid turtle from the Late Campanian Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila State, Mexico. PaleoBios, 28, 76–88. [Google Scholar] and Corsochelys Zangerl, 1960 Zangerl, R. 1960. The vertebrate fauna of the Selma Formation of Alabama. Part V. An advanced cheloniid sea turtle. Fieldiana (Geology Memoirs), 3, 279—312. [Google Scholar]. Euclastes wielandi was found to be the most basal species of the genus owing to its broad contribution of the frontal to the orbital margin in adult individuals. These insights reduce the apparent diversity of chelonians in the MFL and highlight how the discovery (and description) of new specimens including both cranial and shell remains is critical to advancing our understanding of the evolutionary relationships and palaeoecology of extinct turtles.
... Tylosaurine mosasaurs are also present in the Western Interior Seaway as well as in New Zealand (Welles and Gregg, 1971), Antarctica (Novas et al., 2002;Martin and Fern andez, 2007) and Chile (Jim enez-Huidobro et al., 2014. On the other hand, an Atlantic interchange pattern emerges with the presence of Euclastes from the Maastrichtian of Angola (Vineyard et al., 2009), South America (Parham et al., 2014) and Morocco (Jalil et al., 2009), and South America , and now by the common presence of Halisaurus in South America and Morocco (Bardet et al., 2005;. Under this scenario, the presence of Halisaurus sp. in the Quiriquina Formation is biogeographically plausible (not just anatomically). ...
The reassessment of a lower jaw fragment of a mosasaur from the upper Maastrichtian of central Chile(Q.3105) indicates that the specimen does not belong to Plotosaurus, as previously suggested by Frey et al.in 2016. The specimen does not show the characteristics of Plotosaurus, such as the long projection anterior to the anteriormost tooth socket of the dentary, the ventrally positioned Meckelian canal, nor does it possess teeth with enamel coarsely striated at the base of the crown and a smooth apex. We continue in agreement to the previous assignment to Halisaurinae indet. proposed by Jiménez-Huidobro et al. in 2015. Even more, tooth morphologies such as the curvature pattern and the smooth and finely striated enamel, plus dentary characters such as the curvature of that bone, and the medially located Meckelian canal, support the assignment of the specimen Q.3105 to Halisaurus sp. Affinities of Q.3105 with the halisaurine genus Eonatator are discarded, due to the shape in cross section and size of marginal teeth that decreases distally in the latter, traits not seen in the specimen Q.3105. This specimen represents the fourth halisaurine described from South America, and the second Maastrichtian halisaurine from the southernmost part of the continent. This record contributes to the understanding of the broad distribution that halisaurines reached during the Late Cretaceous.
... A small, hexagonal scale occurs posterior to the frontal scale along the midline, between the arcuate, posterolaterally-angled frontoparietal scales. Termed the parietal 1 scale by Jalil et al. (2009), this "additional" scale (sensu Tong and Hirayama 2008) is elsewhere known in Eu. acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009, Erquelinnesia gosseleti Zangerl, 1971, Argillochelys africana Tong and Hirayama, 2008, and other specimens of Eu. wielandi (Fastovsky 1985, Hirayama andTong 2003). The parietal 2 scale of Jalil et al. (2009) spans the midline posterior to this scale; its anterior margin is rectangular. ...
... A small, hexagonal scale occurs posterior to the frontal scale along the midline, between the arcuate, posterolaterally-angled frontoparietal scales. Termed the parietal 1 scale by Jalil et al. (2009), this "additional" scale (sensu Tong and Hirayama 2008) is elsewhere known in Eu. acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009, Erquelinnesia gosseleti Zangerl, 1971, Argillochelys africana Tong and Hirayama, 2008, and other specimens of Eu. wielandi (Fastovsky 1985, Hirayama andTong 2003). The parietal 2 scale of Jalil et al. (2009) spans the midline posterior to this scale; its anterior margin is rectangular. ...
... Termed the parietal 1 scale by Jalil et al. (2009), this "additional" scale (sensu Tong and Hirayama 2008) is elsewhere known in Eu. acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009, Erquelinnesia gosseleti Zangerl, 1971, Argillochelys africana Tong and Hirayama, 2008, and other specimens of Eu. wielandi (Fastovsky 1985, Hirayama andTong 2003). The parietal 2 scale of Jalil et al. (2009) spans the midline posterior to this scale; its anterior margin is rectangular. The parasagittal parietal scales are anteroposteriorly long, rectangular, and each terminate anteriorly in an apex. ...
... The osteopygine skulls and lower jaws were then assigned to Euclastes Cope, 1867. Thus, all the specimens including skulls and lower jaws which were previously attributed to the Osteopyginae Zangerl, 1953b as part of the Toxochelyidae (Zangerl, 1953b(Zangerl, , 1971, were reassigned to the Euclastes group (Jalil et al., 2009) (i.e., the durophagous stem Cheloniidae sensu stricto Parham and Pyenson, 2010), a clade also including Erquelinnesia and Pacifichelys urbinai Parham and Pyenson, 2010. Considering the feeding pattern Parham and Pyenson (2010) identified Argillochelys cuneiceps (Owen, 1849) in Owen and Bell, 1849 and Eochelone brabantica as forms with a palatal anatomy different from that of other forms with a strong secondary palate (i.e., the living Cheloniidae, Puppigerus and the durophagous stem Cheloniidae). ...
... The characteristic availability of Eochelone voltregana n. sp. allows its exclusion from Toxochelyidae, Lophochelyinae and the clade composed of the Euclastes-Erquelinnesia like forms (Jalil et al., 2009;Parham and Pyenson, 2010;Weems and Brown, 2017) (see discussion below). E. voltregana n. sp. is shown to be related to other western European Paleogene taxa including the Eochelyinae. ...
... The representatives of the genus Eochelone that are known by their shell (E. brabantica and E. voltregana n. sp.) are related neither to the North American toxochelyids and lophochelyines nor to the members of the Euclastes group (Jalil et al., 2009), the latter with a wide global distribution and nor to the Allopleuron group. The representatives of the Euclastes group are recognized as littoral forms (Parham and Pyenson, 2010). ...
Eochelone voltregana n. sp. is a new marine cryptodiran cheloniid found at the Priabonian levels (latest Eocene) of the Vespella marls member of the Vic–Manlleu marls formation. It is the second cheloniid from Santa Cecília de Voltregà (Osona County, Spain), the first one being Osonachelus decorata from the same formation. Shell parameters indicate that the new species belongs to a branch of sea turtles including the Eocene Anglo–Franco–Belgian forms Argillochelys, Puppigerus and Eochelone (the shell of the latter was studied here for the first time) as well as Glarichelys from the Oligocene of Switzerland, all of them predating the worldwide living Miocene genera. The description of two other more littoral–continental Eocene species is given: Trionyx sp., from an older layer of the same formation; and the podocnemidid erymnochelyine, Cordichelys from a more basal layer of a middle Eocene (Lutetian) formation. The last one is identified as the only evidence of the Shweboemys subgroup in the European record, being distinct from the other known Osona County pleurodire Eocenochelus farresi, which is a member of the Erymnochelys group (same subfamily), from the younger Priabonian Sant Martí Xic layer. Thus, an update on the marine turtle fauna of the eastern Ebro Basin that variably opened in the east during Eocene times is provided. The turtles of Osona County belong to two suborders and five genera with three new species and extend the known distribution of their families (LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:48CE8676-7B82-4EF2-8165-27BEE90129F2).
... Myers et al. (2017) described a cheloniid skull from Landana. Cheloniids are represented by four species in the Paleogene phosphates of Morocco (Hay, 1908;Hirayama, 2002, 2008;Jalil et al., 2009). The presence of a cheloniid in Landana is thus not surprising, and phylogenetic analyses performed by Myers et al. (2017) suggest that the Angolan taxon is related to Euclastes acutirostris from the Danian-Thanetian phosphate strata in Morocco (Jalil et al., 2009). ...
... Cheloniids are represented by four species in the Paleogene phosphates of Morocco (Hay, 1908;Hirayama, 2002, 2008;Jalil et al., 2009). The presence of a cheloniid in Landana is thus not surprising, and phylogenetic analyses performed by Myers et al. (2017) suggest that the Angolan taxon is related to Euclastes acutirostris from the Danian-Thanetian phosphate strata in Morocco (Jalil et al., 2009). ...
The early Paleogene is critical for understanding global biodiversity patterns in modern ecosystems. During this interval, Southern Hemisphere continents were largely characterized by isolation and faunal endemism following the breakup of Gondwana. Africa has been proposed as an important source area for the origin of several marine vertebrate groups but its Paleogene record is poorly sampled, especially from sub-Saharan Africa. To document the early Paleogene marine ecosystems of Central Africa, we revised the stratigraphic context of sedimentary deposits from three fossil-rich vertebrate localities: the Landana section in the Cabinda exclave (Angola), and the Manzadi and Bololo localities in western Democratic Republic of Congo. We provide more refined age constraints for these three localities based on invertebrate and vertebrate faunas, foraminiferal and dinoflagellate cyst assemblages, and carbon isotope records. We find an almost complete absence of Danian-aged rocks in the Landana section, contrary to prevailing interpretations over the last half a century (only the layer 1, at the base of the section, seems to be Danian). Refining the age of these Paleocene layers is crucial for analyzing fish evolution in a global framework, with implications for
the early appearance of Scombridae (tunas and mackerels) and Tetraodontiformes (puffer fishes). The combination of vertebrate fossil records from Manzadi and Landana sections suggests important environmental changes around the K/Pg transition characterized by an important modification of the ichthyofauna. A small faunal shift may have occurred during the Selandian. More dramatic is the distinct decrease in overall richness that lasts from the Selandian to the Ypresian. The Lutetian of West Central Africa is characterized by the first appearance of numerous cartilaginous and bony fishes. Our analysis of the ichthyofauna moreover indicates two periods of faunal exchanges: one during the Paleocene, where Central Africa appears to have been a source for the European marine fauna, and another during the Eocene when Europe was the source of the Central Africa fauna. These data indicate that Central Africa has had connections with the Tethyian realm.
... We also revised the scores of Rhinochelys pulchriceps (Owen, 1851) using IRSNB GS68 (see Figs. S3-S5; see Table 1) plus the descriptions and pictures of Owen (1851), Lydekker (1889a) andCollins (1970). Finally, we have corrected a series of erroneous scores for Syllomus aegyptiacus (Lydekker, 1889b) (character 10 is scored 1 instead of 0, and character 40 is scored 1 instead of ?) (Weems, 1980), Euclastes platyops Cope (1867) (character 1 is scored 1 instead of ?, and character 10 is scored 0 instead of ?) (Hay, 1905), Euclastes acutirostris Jalil et al. (2009) (character 10 is scored 0 instead of 1) (Jalil et al., 2009), Pacifichelys (character 10 is scored 0 instead of 1), Natator depressus (Garman, 1880) (character 10 is scored 0 instead of 1) (Brinkman et al., 2009). ...
... We also revised the scores of Rhinochelys pulchriceps (Owen, 1851) using IRSNB GS68 (see Figs. S3-S5; see Table 1) plus the descriptions and pictures of Owen (1851), Lydekker (1889a) andCollins (1970). Finally, we have corrected a series of erroneous scores for Syllomus aegyptiacus (Lydekker, 1889b) (character 10 is scored 1 instead of 0, and character 40 is scored 1 instead of ?) (Weems, 1980), Euclastes platyops Cope (1867) (character 1 is scored 1 instead of ?, and character 10 is scored 0 instead of ?) (Hay, 1905), Euclastes acutirostris Jalil et al. (2009) (character 10 is scored 0 instead of 1) (Jalil et al., 2009), Pacifichelys (character 10 is scored 0 instead of 1), Natator depressus (Garman, 1880) (character 10 is scored 0 instead of 1) (Brinkman et al., 2009). ...
... The dorsal opening of the orbit seems greater than that of other Rhinochelys species (Owen, 1851;Lydekker, 1889a;Moret, 1935;Collins, 1970) with the exception of R. nammourensis (Tong et al., 2006). The orbit is still facing laterally like in the other Rhinochelys (Owen, 1851;Lydekker, 1889a;Moret, 1935;Collins, 1970;Tong et al., 2006), and unlike in Euclastes (Hay, 1908;Lynch & Parham, 2003;Hirayama & Tong, 2003;Jalil et al., 2009), Ocepechelon (Bardet et al., 2013), Alienochelys (De Lapparent de Broin et al., 2014), and Allopleuron (Ubaghs, 1875). The orbital rim is formed by the maxilla (the most important contribution), jugal, postorbital, frontal (the smallest contribution) and prefontal. ...
Modern marine turtles (chelonioids) are the remnants of an ancient radiation that roots in the Cretaceous. The oldest members of that radiation are first recorded from the Early Cretaceous and a series of species are known from the Albian-Cenomanian interval, many of which have been allocated to the widespread but poorly defined genus Rhinochelys, possibly concealing the diversity and the evolution of early marine turtles. In order to better understand the radiation of chelonioids, we redescribe the holotype and assess the taxonomy of Rhinochelys amaberti Moret (1935) (UJF-ID.11167) from the Late Albian (Stoliczkaia dispar Zone) of the Vallon de la Fauge (Isère, France). We also make preliminary assessments of the phylogenetic relationships of Chelonioidea using two updated datasets that widely sample Cretaceous taxa, especially Rhinochelys. Rhinochelys amaberti is a valid taxon that is supported by eight autapomorphies; an emended diagnosisis proposed. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that Rhinochelys could be polyphyletic, but constraining it as a monophyletic entity does not produce trees that are significantly less parsimonious. Moreover, support values and stratigraphic congruence indexes are fairly low for the recovered typologies, suggesting that missing data still strongly affect our understanding of the Cretaceous diversification of sea turtles.
... (2015: ch. 116); Erquelinnesia gosseleti Dollo, 1886, as described by Zangerl (1971); Euclastes acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009, as described by Jalil et al. (2009); E. platyops Cope, 1867, as described by Hay (1908); E. wielandi (Hay, 1908) (= Osteopygis roundsi Weems, 1988; = Osteopygoides priscus Karl et al., 1998; for other synonyms see Parham and Pyenson 2010), as described by Hay (1908), Weems (1988) and Karl et al. (1998); Lepidochelys kempii (Garman, 1880), based on Zangerl (1958: figs. 17, 18) and Cadena and Parham (2015: ch. ...
... (2015: ch. 116); Erquelinnesia gosseleti Dollo, 1886, as described by Zangerl (1971); Euclastes acutirostris Jalil et al., 2009, as described by Jalil et al. (2009); E. platyops Cope, 1867, as described by Hay (1908); E. wielandi (Hay, 1908) (= Osteopygis roundsi Weems, 1988; = Osteopygoides priscus Karl et al., 1998; for other synonyms see Parham and Pyenson 2010), as described by Hay (1908), Weems (1988) and Karl et al. (1998); Lepidochelys kempii (Garman, 1880), based on Zangerl (1958: figs. 17, 18) and Cadena and Parham (2015: ch. ...
... See Discussion. Tong et Hirayama, 2008 from the early Eocene (Ypresian) of Morocco (Tong and Hirayama 2008) to the genus Argillochelys was questioned by some authors (Jalil et al. 2009;Danilov et al. 2010;Lapparent de Broin et al. 2014), who considered it "A." africana. ...
The paper revises material of fossil turtles from the Kiev clays (Vyshgorod and Tripolye localities, Kiev Province, Ukraine; Kiev Formation, upper Lutetian – lower Bartonian, middle Eocene) from the 19th century collection of fossil vertebrates of the Russian naturalist A.S. Rogovich. In the course of more than a century this collection was divided into parts several times and stored in different institutions of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Kiev. The turtle material from Rogovich’s collection includes a partial skeleton and isolated shell fragments from Vyshgorod locality referred here to a pancheloniid sea turtle Argillochelys antiqua (Konig, 1825), a species formerly known only from the Paleogene of Western Europe, partial dentaries from Vyshgorod locality, belonging to “Dollochelys” rogovichi Averianov, 2002, a pancheloniid with unclear generic attribution, and sculptured shell fragments of Pan-Cheloniidae indet. from Tripolye locality, erroneously assigned to a crocodile by Rogovich. The material of A. antiqua unites some specimens previously described as Puppigerus sp. and Dollochelys rogovichi, as well as newly revealed specimens. According to our interpretation, parts of the skeleton of A. antiqua from Vyshgorod locality were stored in different institutions for a long time, sharing the fate of the whole Rogovich’s collection of fossil vertebrates. The attribution of the Vyshgorod material to A. antiqua is supported by phylogenetic analysis of pancheloniids. This analysis also demonstrates an Argillochelys clade (A. antiqua + A. cuneiceps [Owen, 1849]), and removes “A.” africana Tong et Hirayama, 2008 from this clade. Analysis of the geographic and stratigraphic distribution of the genus Argillochelys shows that it is restricted to the ?Thanetian – Priabonian of the Peri-Tethyan area (Western and Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan) and possibly also to eastern North America. In addition, our study shows that sculptured pancheloniids of unknown affinities are quite common in the middle Eocene of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
