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The oldest evidence of a dortokid turtle (stem Pleurodira) from the uppermost Hauterivian-basal Barremian El Castellar Formation (Teruel, Spain)

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Abstract

Purpose

Dortokidae is a poorly understood group of pan-pleurodires, exclusive to the European record. Dortokidae is one of the few defined clades of the stem group of Pleurodira, grouping all the forms of this stem described in the post-Jurassic record of Laurasia. Despite this clade has a relatively wide temporal distribution, only three valid forms of Dortokidae are currently known: one from the late Barremian (Early Cretaceous) of Morella (Spain), Eodortoka morellana; another from the uppermost Cretaceous of Spain and probably southern France, Dortoka vasconica; and the last one from the Paleogene of Romania, Ronella botanica. The oldest of these taxa is synchronous with the findings of Dortokidae indet. from the Spanish fossil locality of Vallipón, Vallipón and Morella being the only two localities where Lower Cretaceous material of this clade was so far known. Dortokidae is recognized in this paper for the first time in El Castellar Formation, by a partial xiphiplastron. This finding comes from the El Castellar locality (Teruel, Spain).

Methods

The plate from El Castellar is compared with the xiphiplastra of all so far valid representatives of Dortokidae, and with the indeterminate form from Vallipón. A phylogenetic hypothesis on the members of this clade is proposed.

Results

The specimen studied here is identified as the oldest known evidence of Dortokidae, being recognized as Dortokidae indet.

Conclusions

This new remain of a dortokid expands the known temporal range of distribution for this clade, being recognized from the uppermost Hauterivian-basal Barremian levels.

Resumen

Objetivo

Dortokidae es un grupo de tortugas pan-pleurodiras relativamente mal conocido, exclusivo del registro europeo. Dortokidae es uno de los pocos clados que forman parte del stem group Pleurodira. Este clado agrupa a todas las formas del stem conocidas en niveles post-jurásicos de Laurasia. A pesar de su relativa amplia distribución temporal, solo tres representantes de Dortokidae son reconocidos como válidos: Eodortoka morellana, procedente del Barremiense superior (Cretácico Inferior) de Morella (España); Dortoka vasconica, del Cretácico terminal de España y, probablemente, de Francia; y Ronella botanica, del registro Paleógeno de Rumanía. El más antiguo de estos taxones es conocido en niveles sincrónicos a los del yacimiento español de Vallipón, donde se identificaron restos de un dortókido indeterminado. Así, los ejemplares de Morella y de Vallipón correspondían a los únicos restos de Dortokidae hasta ahora conocidos en el registro del Cretácico Inferior. Este clado es aquí identificado en la Formación El Castellar, mediante un xifiplastrón parcial, proveniente de la localidad homónima, ubicada en la provincia española de Teruel.

Metodología

La placa de El Castellar es comparada con los xifiplastrones de todos los taxones de Dortokidae considerados como válidos, y con los de la forma indeterminada de Vallipón. Se propone una hipótesis filogenética para los miembros de este clado.

Resultados

El ejemplar presentado aquí supone la evidencia más antigua de Dortokidae, siendo atribuido a Dortokidae indet.

Conclusiones

Este nuevo hallazgo permite ampliar el rango de distribución temporal conocido para Dortokidae, su presencia siendo reconocida al menos desde el Hauteriviense terminal-Barremiense basal.

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Acknowledgements

This research is funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (FPDI-2013-18986; CGL2013-41295-P Project DINOTUR), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Research Project CGL2015-68363-P), the Departamento de Educación, Cultura y Deporte del Gobierno de Aragón, the Departamento de Innovación, Investigación y Universidad del Gobierno de Aragón, the Fondo Social Europeo (Grupo de Investigación Consolidado FOCONTUR, Ref. E62), and the Instituto Aragonés de Fomento. Authors thank the editors Fidel Torcida Fernández-Baldor and José Ignacio Canudo, and the reviewers Edwin Cadena and Igor Danilov for comments and suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, UNED, Paseo de la Senda del Rey 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    A. Pérez-García

  2. Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis/Museo Aragonés de Paleontología, Avda. Sagunto s/n, 44002, Teruel, Spain

    A. Cobos & R. Royo-Torres

Authors
  1. A. Pérez-García
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  2. A. Cobos
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  3. R. Royo-Torres
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Pérez-García.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Characters employed in the cladistic analysis performed here, obtained by comparing Platychelys oberndorferi and the members of Dortokidae (see the discussion of these characters in Lapparent de Broin and Murelaga 1999; Lapparent de Broin et al. 2004; Pérez-García et al. 2014):

  1. 1.

    Carapace keels: 0, presence of one medial and two lateral carapace keels; 1, absent.

  2. 2.

    Small crests and ridges on the plates composing the medial area of the carapace: 0, absent; 1, present, poorly developed; 2, present, well developed, not only in the neurals but in the medial region of the costal plates.

  3. 3.

    Thickness of the plastral plates: 0, relatively thin; 1, thick.

  4. 4.

    Carapace fontanelles in adult specimens: 0, absent; 1 present.

  5. 5.

    Plastral fontanelles in adult specimens: 0, present; 1, absent.

  6. 6.

    Anterior carapace margin: 0, straight; 1, subrounded.

  7. 7.

    Dentate carapace margins: 0, present, well developed; 1, absent.

  8. 8.

    Nuchal plate: 0, significantly wider than long; 1, as wide as long.

  9. 9.

    Axillary process: 0, on the first pair of costals (C1), but perpendicular to the C1-C2 suture or slightly antero-medially directed; 1, on C1, but postero-medially directed; 2, reaching C2 and postero-medially directed.

  10. 10.

    Length of the first pair of costals: 0, short, almost twice wider than long; 1, relatively long, the length being equal to 2/3 of the width or higher.

  11. 11.

    First thoracic rib: 0, long; 1, reduced.

  12. 12.

    Anterior tubercle on first thoracic rib: 0, present; 1, absent.

  13. 13.

    Costovertebral tunnel: 0, wide; 1, relatively narrow.

  14. 14.

    Length of the first pair of peripherals: 0, as long as the latero-anterior margin of the nuchal plate, contacting the first costal; 1, reduced, lacking contact with the first costal.

  15. 15.

    Suprapygal: 0, narrower than the pygal plate; 1, wider than the pygal plate.

  16. 16.

    Iliac scar: 0, on the last two pairs of costals, the pygal and the last pair of peripherals; 1, restricted to the last two pairs of costals.

  17. 17.

    Vertebrals scutes: 0, significantly wider than long; 1, relatively narrow.

  18. 18.

    First pair of pleural scutes: 0, the full posterior margin on the second pair of costals; 1, postero-medial region on the second pair of costals; 2, lacking overlapping on the second pair of costals.

  19. 19.

    Anterior region of the second pair of pleurals: 0, lacking contact with the first pair of costals; 1, overlapping the first pair of costals.

  20. 20.

    Postero-lateral region of the second pair of pleurals: 0, on the fourth pair of costals; 1, on the fifth pair of costals.

  21. 21.

    Supramarginals: 0, present; 1, absent.

  22. 22.

    Length of the last pair of marginal scutes: 0, short marginals, with a length less than half of the length of the last pair of peripherals; 1, relatively long marginals, equal or greater than half of the length of the last pair of peripherals.

  23. 23.

    Supracaudal scute: 0, present; 1, absent.

  24. 24.

    Mesoplastra: 0, present; 1, absent.

  25. 25.

    Gulars: 0, relatively long, length of the gulars approximately as long as half of the length of the intergular; 1, reduced gulars, at least three times shorter than the intergular.

  26. 26.

    Pectoral scutes: 0, far behind the entoplastron; 1, contacting the posterior margin of the entoplastron or overlapping its posterior region.

  27. 27.

    Femoro-anal sulcus: 0, on the xiphiplastral; 1, on the postero-medial region of the hypoplastra.

  28. 28.

    Length of the pubic scars: 0, less than twice longer than wide; 1, more than twice longer than wide.

  29. 29.

    Location of the pubic scars: 0, exclusively located on the xiphiplastra, not contacting the hypoplastra; 1, overlapping the posterior region of the hypoplastra.

  30. 30.

    Ischiatic scars: 0, lacking two well developed branches, and with the posterior margin parallel and close to the anal notch; 1, showing two clearly separate branches, and not close to the anal notch.

Appendix 2

Character-taxon matrix for the phylogenetic analysis performed here:

  • Platychelys oberndorferi 00000 00000 00000 00000 00000 00000

  • Eodortoka morellana 11101 11111 11111 1100? 10?01 00001

  • Dortoka vasconica 12111 11121 11111 11111 11111 0[01]011

  • Ronella botanica 11101 11111 11111 11210 11111 10101

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Pérez-García, A., Cobos, A. & Royo-Torres, R. The oldest evidence of a dortokid turtle (stem Pleurodira) from the uppermost Hauterivian-basal Barremian El Castellar Formation (Teruel, Spain). J Iber Geol 43, 139–146 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-017-0013-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-017-0013-7

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