Cranial osteology, taxonomic reassessment, and phylogenetic relationships of the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) turtle Trinitichelys hiatti ( Paracryptodira )

PeerJ

article

Yann Rollot¹  Serjoscha W. Evers¹  Stephanie E. Pierce²  Walter G. Joyce¹ 

[1] Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg;Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

关键词: Testudinata;    Paracryptodira;    Baenidae;    Anatomy;    Systematics;    Phylogeny;    Turtles;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.14138

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

We describe the skull of the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) baenid turtle Trinitichelys hiatti using micro-computed tomography to provide new insights into the cranial anatomy of basal baenids and into the evolution of paracryptodires. We show that the validity of Trinitichelys hiatti vs Arundelemys dardeni still holds true, that the most basal known baenids for which skull material is known share an intriguing combination of features that are typical of either Pleurosternidae or Baenidae, and that the carotid system of Trinitichelys hiatti is intermediate to that of pleurosternids and more advanced baenids. Our expanded phylogenetic analysis confirms the traditional placement of Arundelemys dardeni, Lakotemys australodakotensis, and Trinitichelys hiatti as basal baenids, retrieves Helochelydridae along the stem of Baenoidea, but recovers Dinochelys whitei, Glyptops ornatus, Dorsetochelys typocardium, and Uluops uluops as basal branching Paracryptodira.

【 授权许可】

CC BY