Gen. indet
- Dataset
- Middle Eocene vertebrate fauna from the Aridal Formation, Sabkha of Gueran, southwestern Morocco
- Rank
- GENUS
Classification
- genus
- Gen
description
DESCRIPTION FSAC Bouj- 196 (Fig. 5 N) is a fragment of right hypoplastron, in the inguinal notch corner, and it bears the lateral end of the abdominofemoral sulcus. The surface is rather smooth, bright, not granulous and ornamented by not protruding polygons.
discussion
REMARKS The lateral curve of the plate in the inguinal buttress area shows an obliquely elevated bridge. This is not the case in marine cryptodiran turtles: the bridge is flat in Cheloniidae and the plastron is so much reduced that there is no more bridge in Dermochelyidae (Gervais 1872: figs 7, 8). The decoration indicates an aquatic form and probably a pleurodire. In the African context at that time, this specimen ought to be a podocnemidoid turtle (Podocnemididae or Bothremydidae). The position of the femoroabdominal sulcus matches these families. By comparison with turtle distribution at Ad-Dakhla and Fayum localities, it might be a member of the littoral Stereogenyina (Zouhri et al. 2017).
materials_examined
EXAMINED MATERIAL. — FSAC Bouj- 196, fragmentary hypoplastron (Fig. 5 N).