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New Information about Pelomedusoides (Testudines: Pleurodira) from the Cretaceous of Brazil

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Morphology and Evolution of Turtles

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

Abstract

Brazilian turtle remains date from the Cretaceous and have been recovered from in 11 different basins. Two of these are of particular importance because of the richness of species and specimens: Araripe (Early Cretaceous) and Bauru (Late Cretaceous). Here we present information based on new material that adds to our understanding of the diversity of turtles from Araripe Basin and provides a basis for discussion of the taxonomic status of some species from Bauru Basin. A new specimen from the Araripe Basin that is from the Crato Formation, although generically indeterminate is proposed to be the oldest representative of the clade Podocnemidera. This allocation would extend the stratigraphic range of the Podocnemidera to the Aptian/Albian, matching that of its sister group, the Pelomedusera. New specimens from the Bauru Basin allow a better understanding of the morphology of the shell in Roxochelys and an assessment and interpretation of diagnostic features used to distinguish Bauru Basin endemic forms. Our preliminary examination of this material leads us to conclude that the diversity described in this basin is overestimated. As consequence, we argue that Bauru Basin includes only two well diagnosed species of turtles: Roxochelys wanderleyi and Bauruemys elegans.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to D. Brinkman (Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology) for inviting and encouraging us to submit this chapter and also for all the assistance during Gaffney Turtle Symposium in 2009. We would like to thank E. Gaffney, J. Maisey, C. Mehling, and J. Galkin (FARB collections, Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History) and R. Cassab and R. Machado (Museu de Ciências da Terra, Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral) for access to collections and to loan the material under their care. M. Oliveira (Museu Nacional/UFRJ) is thanked for the illustration of AMNH 30652. D. Brinkman (Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology) read earlier drafts of this paper and made a heedful revision contributing to its improvement. We are also grateful to M. Ryan (Cleveland Museum of Natural History), A. Pérez-García (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), and E. Gaffney (American Museum of Natural History) for their careful reviews of this manuscript. We thank the support from CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) grants to G. Oliveira (#140812/2007-5), P. Romano (#142330/2006-0), and A. Kellner (#304965/2006-5); FAPERJ (Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Rio de Janeiro) grant to A. Kellner (#E-26/152.885/2006); and Royal Tyrrell Museum Cooperating Society travel grants to G. Oliveira and P. Romano.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Animal, Museu de Zoologia João Moojen, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil

    Pedro S. R. Romano

  2. Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brazil

    Gustavo R. Oliveira, Sergio A. K. Azevedo & Alexander W. A. Kellner

  3. Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral, Museu de Ciências da Terra, Avenida Pasteur 404, Urca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-902, Brazil

    Diogenes de Almeida Campos

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  1. Pedro S. R. Romano
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  2. Gustavo R. Oliveira
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  3. Sergio A. K. Azevedo
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  4. Alexander W. A. Kellner
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  5. Diogenes de Almeida Campos
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Correspondence to Pedro S. R. Romano .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Tyrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada

    Donald B. Brinkman

  2. Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    Patricia A. Holroyd

  3. Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Canada

    James D. Gardner

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Romano, P.S., Oliveira, G.R., Azevedo, S.A., Kellner, A.W., de Almeida Campos, D. (2013). New Information about Pelomedusoides (Testudines: Pleurodira) from the Cretaceous of Brazil. In: Brinkman, D., Holroyd, P., Gardner, J. (eds) Morphology and Evolution of Turtles. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4309-0_16

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