Paleocene Turtle Remains from South Carolina

Abstract

THE TURTLE FAUNA FROM the Williamsburg Formation of the Paleocene of South Carolina is the most diverse yet known from the Paleocene of eastern North America, although this may reflect the mixed nature of the recovered assemblage. The assemblage is unusually rich in kinosternoid turtles, comprising approximately 60 percent of the taxa and including Adocus, Agomphus, and four other kinosternoids. The remaining taxa include one or two trionychids, two pleurodires (Taphrosphys and ?Bothremys) and three chelonioids (Osteopygis, unidentified toxochelyine and cheloniid). The fauna is notably different from coeval western interior faunas in diversity and abundance of kinosternid turtles and in the absence of baenoids, chelydroids, and testudinoids.