The turtles of the Purbeck Limestone Group of Dorset, southern England

Abstract

The turtles from the Purbeck Limestone are revised and it is concluded that there are four shell‐based cryptodire species present, namely Pleurosternon bullockii, ‘Glyptops’typocardium comb. nov., Helochelydra anglica comb. nov.,Hylaeochelys latiscutata. There is also one skull‐based species, Dorsetochelys delairi, which may prove to be the skull of ‘Glyptops’, Hylaeochelys or an unknown shell‐type. All other taxa are junior synonyms except ‘Chelone’obovata Owen, 1842 and Tretosternon punctatum Owen, 1842 which are nomina dubia, the material being unfigured and either lost or incorrectly associated. Other taxonomic conclusions are that (1) because Tretosternon is a nomen dubium, the next senior name for this Purbeck–Wealden genus is Helochelydra Nopcsa, 1928; (2) ‘Pleurosternon’typocardium and ‘Glyptops’ruetimeyeri are synonymous, the senior combination being ‘Glyptops’typocardium; (3) the Purbeck ‘Tretosternon’ material is combined with the holotype and only specimen of Platychelys? anglica as Helochelydra anglica comb. nov.; (4) Hylaeochelys emarginata and H. sollasi are junior synonyms of Hylaeochelys latiscutata; (5) one of Owen's ‘lost’ syntypes of ‘Tretosternon punctatum’ has been recognised and is a plastron of Hylaeochelys latiscutata.