A new turtle confirms the presence of Bothremydidae (Pleurodira) in the Cenozoic of Europe and expands the biostratigraphic range of Foxemydina.

Abstract

Pleurodira is a clade of Gondwanan turtles that reached Europe at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous. It is recognized as the most abundant and diverse group of freshwater turtles in the uppermost Cretaceous record of this continent, being represented by several members of Bothremydidae. Two well-preserved and relatively complete skulls are studied in this paper. They come from lower Eocene levels of the French locality of Saint-Papoul (Aude). These specimens are recognized as attributable to a new taxon, Tartaruscola teodorii gen. et sp. nov., identified as a bothremydid. This new form constitutes the only known unambiguous and valid representative of Bothremydidae in the Cenozoic of Europe. The new taxon is diagnosed by several autapomorphies and also by an exclusive combination of characters. It is one of the few members of Bothremydini identified in the Cenozoic record and the only one described for the Eocene outside of the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco. Tartaruscola teodorii is identified as a member of Foxemydina, a clade recognized here as exclusive of the European record, and whose presence in post-Mesozoic levels is demonstrated in this paper. The European Foxemydina T. teodorii and the African Bothremydina Bothremys kellyi, both from the Ypresian, are the youngest members of Bothremydini hitherto known.