The first fossil sea turtles (Testudines: Cheloniidae) from the Cenozoic of Australia

Abstract

An isolated dentary and costal identified as cf. Pacifichelys and Cheloniidae indet., respectively, are described from the upper Miocene–lower Pliocene Black Rock Sandstone of Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia. These remains represent the first fossil evidence of sea turtles from the Cenozoic of Australia. Neither of the fossils can be referred to living genera, indicating that extinct cheloniids occurred in southeast Australian coastal waters for at least part of the late Neogene. Thus, the taxonomic composition of the current sea turtle fauna of Australia was apparently established within the last five to six million years.

本文描述了采自澳大利亚维多利亚的中新世上部至上新世下部的Black Rock砂岩的齿骨和肋骨，分别鉴定为 cf.Pacifichelys 和海龟科未定种。这些化石代表澳大利亚的新生代海龟的第一化石证据。两个化石都不能与现生属相对比，表明灭绝的海龟出现于至少部分晚第三纪晚期的澳大利亚东南部沿海水域。因此，澳大利亚目前的海龟动物群的分类组成在过去五至六百万年期间就确定了。

Key words:

• Pacifichelys
• Neogene
• Miocene
• Pliocene
• Victoria
• marine
• vertebrate.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank W. Joyce and J. Parham for advice and provision of materials, and K. Roberts and K. Smith for access to Museum Victoria’s Reptiles and Amphibians Collection. J. Parham and M. Rabi provided helpful reviews. S. McLoughlin and B. Kear assisted with editorial comments. J. Velez-Juarbe supplied the photograph of LACM 103351 used in Fig. 3. Brian Crichton is thanked for his collection and donation of NMV P232865 to Museum Victoria. Astrid Werner is thanked for her skilful preparation of NMV P232865 and other significant fossils.