Berruchelus russelli, gen. et sp. nov., a paracryptodiran turtle from the Cenozoic of Europe

ABSTRACT

Paracryptodira is composed of North American Baenidae and an undefined group of North American and European turtles known from the Middle Jurassic to the mid-Paleocene. Traditional members of Pleurosternidae are included in this group. Whereas the North American record extends into the mid-Paleocene, it was proposed that European non-baenid paracryptodirans disappeared during the Early Cretaceous. However, an analysis of turtle remains from the upper Paleocene of Western Europe revealed the presence of a new paracryptodire, herein named Berruchelus russelli. This taxon is distinguished as the only post-Neocomian European representative of Paracryptodira, and thus increases the European temporal distribution of non-baenid paracryptodirans. Cladistic analyses identify B. russelli as closely related to the Late Cretaceous–middle Paleocene North American Compsemys victa. It is proposed that, after the disappearance of the European Mesozoic paracryptodiran taxa, Europe was recolonized by a paracryptodiran lineage originating from North America, which resulted in B. russelli.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank F. de Lapparent for access to the material studied here and for its preparation and preliminary determination; R. Allain and A. Prieur for access to material; M. Godinot and E. Gheerbrant for instructive information; N. Bardet for her support; D. Brinkman, M. S. de la Fuente, F. Gascó, T. Lyson, S. Modesto, F. Ortega, and J. Sterli for comments and suggestions; and Christine Laurin for the English editing. A.P.G. is funded by the FPU subprogram (ref. AP2007-00873) and his research is part of the activity of the project ‘Geología y Paleontología del yacimiento de Lo Hueco (Cretácico Superior. Fuentes, Cuenca)’ (CGL2009-10766). The Willi Hennig Society sponsors TNT cladistics software.

Handling editor: Sean Modesto.