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Shell bone histology of the long-necked chelid Yaminuechelys (Testudines: Pleurodira) from the late Cretaceous—early Palaeocene of Patagonia with comments on the histogenesis of bone ornamentation

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Abstract

Yaminuechelys is a long-necked chelid turtle whose remains have been recovered from outcrops of the Santonian-Maastrichtian and Danian of South America. With the purpose of providing data about shell sculpturing origin and palaeoecology, the bone histology of several shell elements (including neural, costal, peripheral and plastral plates) of Yaminuechelys is described herein. Histological analysis reveals that Yaminuechelys shares with Chelidae the presence of interwoven structural fibre bundles in the external cortex, and parallel-fibred bone of the internal cortex. The presence of resorption lines in several samples indicates that the particular ornamentation of the external surfaces originated, at least in part, by focalized resorption and new bone deposition. This mechanism for ornamentation origin and maintenance is here described for the first time in a turtle. Compactness of the shell bones is consistent with an aquatic habitat, which supports previous hypothesis based on palaeoenvironmental and morphological data.

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Abbreviations

MPEF-PV:

Paleovertebrate collection of the Museo Paleontológico “Egidio Feruglio”, Trelew, Chubut, Argentina

MAU-Ph:

Paleohistological collection of the Museo Municipal “Argentino Urquiza”, Rincón de los Sauces, Neuquén, Argentina

N:

Narambuena collection

CO:

Cerro Overo collection

PR:

Puesto La Rinconada collection

LI:

La Invernada collection

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank M. Caffa (Museo Egidio Feruglio) for the skilful preparation of the histological sections, Leonardo Filippi (Museo Argentino Urquiza) and Juliana Sterli (Museo Egidio Feruglio) for finding the fossils studied here, and John Whitlock for valuable remarks on the English of the manuscript. The authors would also like to thank Editor, Sven Thatje and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions for the improvement of this manuscript. This paper was partially supported by Proyecto de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica 2013–0095 (Marcelo de la Fuente) and Proyecto de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica 2010–0646 (Juliana Sterli) granted by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica.

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Author notes

  1. Juan Marcos Jannello & Marcelo S. de la Fuente

    Present address: Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael, Av. Ballofet s/n, frente al parque Mariano Moreno, CP5600, San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina

  2. Ignacio A. Cerda

    Present address: Museo Carlos Ameghino, Belgrano 1700, Paraje Pichi Ruca (predio Marabunta), CP8300, Cipolletti, Río Negro, Argentina

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo vinculado al IANIGLA-CONICET, San Rafael, Argentina

    Juan Marcos Jannello & Marcelo S. de la Fuente

  2. CONICET, Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Belgrano 1700, Paraje Pichi Ruca (predio Marabunta), CP8300, Cipolletti, Río Negro, Argentina

    Ignacio A. Cerda

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Correspondence to Juan Marcos Jannello.

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Communicated by: Sven Thatje

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Jannello, J.M., Cerda, I.A. & de la Fuente, M.S. Shell bone histology of the long-necked chelid Yaminuechelys (Testudines: Pleurodira) from the late Cretaceous—early Palaeocene of Patagonia with comments on the histogenesis of bone ornamentation. Sci Nat 103, 26 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-016-1346-3

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