Jeholochelys lingyuanensis Shao et al. 2018

Taxonomy

Turtle

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata Haeckel 1874
Class: Reptilia Laurenti 1768
Order: Testudines Batsch 1788
Family: Sinemydidae Yeh 1963
Genus: Jeholochelys
Species: Jeholochelys lingyuanensis
Author Citation Shao et al. 2018

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Mesozoic
Period: Cretaceous
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Early
International Age: Aptian

Stratigraphy

Jehol Group
Jiufotang Formation
Sihedang Beds

Provenance

Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Diameter: 20 cm

Location

Sihedang
Lingyuan County
Liaoning Province
China

• jehol group
• jeholochelys
• jiufotang
• liaoning
• sihedang
• tff-oilshale-ch1441

Comments

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.com.

Etymology: “Jehol,” refers to “the Jehol Biota”; “chelys” is “turtle” in Greek; the specific epithet refers to the type locality.

Diagnosis from Shao et al. 2018, p. 7/21: "This new taxon has a low-domed shell, as in other Cretaceous sinemydids, and it is diagnosted with an unusual combination of features: nasal absent; midline contact of prefrontals; interorbital roof narrow; parietal expanded bilaterally along the supraoccipital crest; parietal separated from squamosal; supraoccipital crest slightly longer than squamosal horn; upper temporal emargination moderately developed; cranial scales present; oval carapace distinctly longer than wide; nuchal emargination shallow; preneural absent; eight neurals; two subequal suprapygals; pygal present; third costals with parallel anterior and posterior sides; cervical scale present; vertebral scales wider than long; first vertebral wider than nuchal and contact second marginal; central and posterior plastral fenestrae absent; lateral plastral fenestrae large; four phalanges of pedal digit V."
Line drawings from Shao et al. 2018 p. 4 and 6:

 

Scale bar equals 50mm

References:

Shao et al. (2018), Hyperphalangy in a new sinemydid turtle from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota. PeerJ 6:e5371; DOI 10.7717/peerj.5371

Zhiqiang Yu, Min Wang, Youjuan Li, Chenglong Deng, Huaiyu He (2021) New geochronological constraints for the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in Jianchang Basin, NE China, and their implications for the late Jehol Biota, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Volume 583, 110657, ISSN 0031-0182, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110657.

GAO Fu-liang, JIANG Yang, PAN Yu-qi, WANG Xuan, WU Zi-jie, FAN Shuo, DAI De-yu (2018) DIVISION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRECIOUS FOSSIL-BEARING BEDS OF JIUFOTANG FORMATION IN SIHEDANG AREA, LIAONING PROVINCE[J]. Geology and Resources, 27(6): 503-507.