Anomalías en el caparazón de la tortuga Algorachelus peregrina en las IX Jornadas de Salas de los Infantes

Otra de las comunicaciones presentadas por el Grupo de Biología Evolutiva de la UNED en las recientes IX Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su Entorno, celebradas en Salas de los Infantes (Burgos), fue el trabajo titulado “Shell anomalies of the Spanish Cenomanian bothremydid turtle Algorachelus peregrina”. En esta comunicación, se presentaron las anomalías de carácter congénito presentes en el caparazón de la tortuga pleurodira del Cretácico Superior Algorachelus peregrina. El resumen es el siguiente:

The Cenomanian (basal Late Cretaceous) pleurodiran turtle Algorachelus peregrina is the oldest representative of the Bothremydidae clade currently described in Europe. This species has been defined in the uppermost middle-lowermost upper Cenomanian site of Algora (Guadalajara, Central Spain), being subsequently identified in the middle Cenomanian locality of Nazaré (West Central Portugal). The Algorachelus peregrina material found in its type locality (i.e., the Algora site) represents the largest concentration of remains of a bothremydid member recorded in Europe. The availability of numerous specimens as well as their generally good preservation has allowed us, in previous studies, to provide a preliminary characterization of the shell of this taxon at an intraspecific level (e.g., individual variability and sexual dimorphism). Likewise, a few examples of the extreme cases of morphological variation (i.e., anomalies) have also been previously documented in Algorachelus peregrina, however, these have not been characterized in detail. In this context, the detailed study of the shell anomalies of Algorachelus peregrina is carried out herein. The evaluation of hundreds of shell remains (i.e., both disarticulated and articulated plates as well as complete shells) allow us to determine the frequency and distribution of these anatomical deviations providing, for the first time, detailed data regarding the manifestation of this type of intraspecific variation for a member of Bothremydidae. Also, the morphogenetic cause of each typology of anomaly is discussed herein. As a result, a relatively broad spectrum of anomalies is reported for Algorachelus peregrina.

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Más información:

• Referencia: Guerrero, A., Pérez-García, A. 2022. Shell anomalies of the Spanish Cenomanian bothremydid turtle Algorachelus peregrina. Libro de resúmenes del IX Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su Entorno, 92.