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Abstract Saxochelys gilbertiis a baenid turtle from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of the United States of America known from cranial, shell, and other postcranial material. Baenid turtles are taxonomically diverse and common fossil elements within Late Cretaceous through Eocene faunas. Detailed anatomical knowledge is critical to understanding the systematics and morphological evolution of the group. This is particularly important as baenids represent an important group of continental vertebrates that survived the mass extinction event associated with the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. High-resolution micro-computed tomography scanning of the holotype skull reveals additional anatomical details for the already well-knownSaxochelys gilberti. This includes the revision of some anatomical statements from the original description, but also detailed knowledge on internal anatomical features of the braincase and the description of a well-preserved axis (cervical vertebra 2). Our new detailed description and previous work on the shell and postcrania makeSaxochelysone of the best-described, nearly complete baenid turtles, which are often only known from either isolated shell or cranial material. A revised phylogenetic analysis confirms the position ofSaxochelys gilbertias a derived baenid (Eubaeninae) more closely related toBaena arenosathan toEubaena cephalica.
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New interpretation of the cranial osteology of the Early Cretaceous turtle Arundelemys dardeni (Paracryptodira) based on a CT-based re-evaluation of the holotype
Arundelemys dardeni is an Early Cretaceous paracryptodire known from a single, incomplete, but generally well-preserved skull. Phylogenetic hypotheses of paracryptodires often find Arundelemys dardeni as an early branching baenid. As such, it has a central role in understanding the early evolution of the successful clade Baenidae, which survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction, as well as the diversification of Paracryptodira into its subclades, which recent research suggests to perhaps include helochelydrids, compsemydids, pleurosternids, and baenids. Computer tomography scans of the holotype material that were produced for the initial description of Arundelemeys dardeni reveal several errors in the initial anatomical description of the species, which we correct based on element-by-element segmentation. In addition, we provide entirely novel anatomical information, including descriptions of several previously undescribed cranial bones, the endosseous labyrinth, and the cranial scutes, the latter of which are unknown for most paracryptodires. We provide an interpretation of cranial scutes which homologizes the scutes of Arundelemys dardeni with those of other stem turtles.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1902242
- PAR ID:
- 10351704
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- PeerJ
- Volume:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2167-8359
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- e11495
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11495
