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Foxemys, a new side-necked turtle (Bothremydidae, Pelomedusoides) from the late Cretaceous of France

by: Tong, Haiyan

Publication date: 1998

Topics: Foxemys mechinorum, Turtles, Fossil, Reptiles, Fossil, Paleontology, Turtles, Fossil -- France -- Fox Amphoux (Var), Reptiles, Fossil -- France -- Fox Amphoux (Var), Paleontology -- Cretaceous -- France -- Fox Amphoux (Var), Paleontology -- France -- Fox Amphoux (Var)

Publisher: New York, NY : American Museum of Natural History

Collection: americanmuseumnaturalhistory; biodiversity

Contributor: American Museum of Natural History Library

Language: English

Rights: http://biodiversitylibrary.org/permissions

Rights-holder: American Museum of Natural History Library

Volume: no. 3251

19 p. : 26 cm

"Associated skull and shell material from the late Cretaceous (probably Maastrichtian) of Fox Amphoux, southern France, is the new pleurodire taxon Foxemys mechinorum. Foxemys is a member of the pelomedusoid family Bothremydidae because it has these synapomorphies of that group: quadrate-basisphenoid covers prootic ventrally, stapedial canal opens anteriorly, precolumellar fossa absent, and eustachian tube separated from incisura columellae auris. A PAUP analysis of 23 characters and four bothremydid taxa has resulted in one cladogram showing Foxemys as the sister taxon to Taphrosphys, Bothremys, and Rosasia. Only one character, an open incisura columellae auris in Foxemys (closed in the three others), is the basis for this relationship, however, and it is considered to be weakly supported. The skull and shell of Foxemys are most similar to Polysternon provinciale from the Campanian of Villevayrac, France. The skull of Foxemys is similar to Polysternon in being wedge-shaped with a posteriorly expanded triturating surface. These genera differ from each other in that Polysternon has its mandibular condyles well anterior to the occipital condyle while in Foxemys these structures are nearly lined up transversely"--P. [1]

Caption title

"December 21, 1998."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 18-19)

Abstract: 'Associated skull and shell material from the late Cretaceous (probably Maastrichtian) of Fox Amphoux, southern France, is the new pleurodire taxon Foxemys mechinorum. Foxemys is a member of the pelomedusoid family Bothremydidae because it has these synapomorphies of that group: quadrate-basisphenoid covers prootic ventrally, stapedial canal opens anteriorly, precolumellar fossa absent, and eustachian tube separated from incisura columellae auris. A PAUP analysis of 23 characters and four bothremydid taxa has resulted in one cladogram showing Foxemys as the sister taxon to Taphrosphys, Bothremys, and Rosasia. Only one character, an open incisura columellae auris in Foxemys (closed in the three others), is the basis for this relationship, however, and it is considered to be weakly supported. The skull and shell of Foxemys are most similar to Polysternon provinciale from the Campanian of Villevayrac, France. The skull of Foxemys is similar to Polysternon in being wedge-shaped with a posteriorly expanded triturating surface. These genera differ from each other in that Polysternon has its mandibular condyles well anterior to the occipital condyle while in Foxemys these structures are nearly lined up transversely'--P. [1].