Diversidad de pleurodiras del Paleoceno de Mali en el XX Annual Meeting de la EAVP

La información sobre la diversidad de tortugas pleurodiras del registro Cenozoico de África se ha incrementado notablemente en los últimos años, especialmente mediante el estudio de miembros de tanto Podocnemididae como de Bothremydidae. En este sentido, miembros del Grupo de Biología Evolutiva de la UNED han presentado una contribución en el XX Annual Meeting de la European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists (EAVP) en la que analiza la diversidad de pleurodiras del Paleoceno de Mali. Varias formas son reconocidas, incluyendo algunas de gran tamaño, con adaptaciones a ambientes marinos. El resumen del trabajo es el siguiente:

Pleurodira are one of the two lineages of crown Testudines. They are currently much less diverse than the members of Cryptodira, being restricted to freshwater environments at intertropical regions of the southern continents. However, Pleurodira were very abundant and diverse in the past, with a markedly greater paleobiogeographic distribution and adaptations to a greater range of environments. One of the most successful groups of Pleurodira in the fossil record is Bothremydidae, known from the Early Cretaceous to the Miocene. This lineage was especially abundant and diverse from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene, being recognized on several continents. Its greatest diversity is identified in the southern hemisphere. Thus, a relevant African record is known. Several bothremydid lineages are identified on that continent, including the one that reached the largest size: Nigeremydini. Nigeremydini groups large coastal bothremydids exclusively recognized as Maastrichtian and Paleocene inhabitants of the Trans-Saharan seaway. Nigeremydini are relatively well-known through the skull, but barely through the shell. One of the countries where they are recognized is Mali, two Paleocene representatives having been defined by the skull there. A large and almost complete Paleocene shell from that country, previously attributed to Pelomedusoides indet., is here analyzed in detail. Its potential attribution to Nigeremydini is evaluated. In addition, unpublished specimens from the same area and age are also studied. Some of them appear to correspond to another lineage within the Bothremydidae. The diversity of bothremydid turtles in the Paleocene of Mali is here analyzed.

-----

Más información:

• Referencia: Pérez-García, A. 2023. New data on the diversity of pleurodiran turtles from the Paleocene of Mali. In: Alba, D.M., Marigó, J., Nacarino-Meneses, C., Villa, A. (Eds.), Book of Abstracts of the 20th Annual Conference of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists, 26th June–1st July 2023. Palaeovertebrata, Special Volume 1-2023: 22. DOI: 10.18563/pv.eavp2023 (p. 207).