Análisis de las anomalías del caparazón de la tortuga pleurodira primitiva Dortoka vasconica en el Turtle Evolution Symposium 2021

Otro de los trabajos presentados por los integrantes del Grupo de Biología Evolutiva de la UNED en el pasado Turtle Evolution Symposium, fue la comunicación “Preliminary analysis of shell anomalies in the Spanish Upper Cretaceous basal pleurodire Dortoka vasconica (Dortokidae)”. El resumen es el siguiente:

Paleopathological studies have been key to understanding injuries and diseases in extinct organisms. They provide knowledge about the categories of skeletal damage present in extinct populations, their causes, and by inference, aspects of paleoecology and behaviour. Paleopathologies have long been reported among fossil vertebrates, mostly in dinosaurs and other archosaurs. However, pathologies in extinct turtles are poorly documented, usually integrated into morphological descriptions without detailed analysis. Shell damage remains a controversial area of study, with pathology variously associated with infection, trauma, or metabolic disease. Likewise, it is generally unclear which agents may be responsible for certain types of shell lesion recognized in the fossil record. Thus, in extinct but also in extant turtle taxa, shell pathology continues to be a source of confusion. In this context, the aim of this study is to analyse pathological conditions recognized for the shell of the Spanish freshwater basal pleurodiran turtle Dortoka vasconica. This study is based on the first-hand revision of all material from its type locality (Laño, Treviño County, Burgos). Two pathological plates have been identified, both corresponding to the plastron. These pathologies have been analysed through macroscopic examination and also using Computerized Axial Tomography. The discussion has been established through a differential diagnosis procedure, which constitutes one of the methodological tools of paleopathology. As a result, two types of shell irregularities have been identified here for Dortoka vasconica. This study provides the first detailed pathological analysis of a stem-pleurodire turtle and contributes to our understanding of pathologies in taxa.

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Más información:

• Referencia: Guerrero, A. and Pérez-García, A. 2021. Preliminary analysis of shell anomalies in the Spanish Upper Cretaceous basal pleurodire Dortoka vasconica (Dortokidae). PE-APA 21(R2) – Book of Abstracts, R22.
• Imagen: Imagen tomada durante la presentación del trabajo.