Podocnemididae
| Podocnemididae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Pleurodira |
| Clade: | Podocnemidoidae
|
| Family: | Podocnemididae Cope, 1868[1] |
| Extant genera | |
For fossil genera see text | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Podocnemidinae | |
Podocnemididae is a
Like other pleurodire turtles, podocs have a "side-necked" defensive posture, turning the head sideways to hide it under the shell. Another characteristic of pleurodires is that the pelvis is fused to the shell which prevents pelvic motion, making it difficult to walk on land.[2][3] Podocnemididae turtles live in aquatic environments and have shells streamlined to aid in swimming.[4]
Taxonomy and systematics
According to Ferreira et al. (2015), the family name derives from two Greek words: "podos" (foot) and "cnemis" (leg armor worn by Roman soldiers.)[5]
To clarify some closely related names:
- Podocnemidae (Baur, 1893) is an alternate but less commonly-used name for the same biological group as family Podocnemididae (Cope, 1868).[5]
- Epifamily Podocnemidinura: The family Podocnemididae has two sister families (Hamadachelys and Brasilemys); the relationship of these three families is sometimes recognized by grouping them as the epifamily Podocnemidinura.[6]
- Superfamily Podocnemidoidea: At a higher level yet, the epifamily Podocnemidinura is grouped with the family Bothremydidae to form the superfamily Podocnemidoidea.[6]
- Podocnemidinae: An earlier classification, rejected by Gaffney, treated Podocnemididae as a subfamily (Podocnemidinae) within the closely related family Pelomedusidae.[7])
According to Gaffney et al. (2011), the family Podocnemididae can be diagnosed from its cranial traits including "the unique possession of a cavum pterygoidei formed by the basisphenoid, pterygoid, prootic, and quadrate [bones], underlain by the pterygoid and basisphenoid."[8]
The pocnemid family dates to the late Cretaceous; it includes 20 genera and 30 species. Only three genera (and eight species) survive.[8]
The three living
- Erymnochelys – Madagascan big-headed turtle
- Peltocephalus
- Peltocephalus dumerilianus – Big-headed Amazon River turtle
- †Peltocephalus maturin[9]
- Podocnemis – South American side-necked river turtles
Taxonomy
Fossils show that Podocnemidids were once found in Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. Stupendemys lived around 5.5 million years ago in northern South America, and was the largest freshwater turtle with a carapace length of 2.4 metres (7.9 ft), the largest of any known turtle and is the largest pleurodire known.[10] While Peltocephalus and Erymnochelys have often been recovered as more closely related to each other than to Podocnemis in morphological analyses,[11][12][9] genetic studies have found Erymochelys to be more closely related to Podocnemis than to Peltocephalus.[13][14]
Genera:
- Stem grouptaxa (Podocnemidoidae)
- †Brasilemys[15] Romualdo Formation, Brazil, Early Cretaceous (Albian)
- †Amabilis[16] São José do Rio Preto Formation, Brazil, Late Cretaceous (Santonian)
- †Hamadachelys Kem Kem Group, Morocco, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)
- †Portezueloemys Portezuelo Formation, Argentina, Late Cretaceous (Turonian)
- †Cambaremys Marília Formation, Brazil, Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
- †Bauruemys Presidente Prudente Formation, Brazil, Late Cretaceous (Campanian)
- †Roxochelys Adamantina Formation, Brazil, Campanian
- Family †Peiropemydidae
- †PeiropemysMarília Formation, Brazil, Maastrichtian
- †PricemysMarília Formation, Brazil, Maastrichtian
- †Lapparentemys Santa Lucía Formation, Bolivia, Paleocene
- †Yuraramirim[17] Adamantina Formation, Brazil, Campanian
- †
- Family Podocnemididae (crown group)
- †Caninemys Northern South America, Miocene
- Subfamily Podocnemidinae
- †Cerrejonemys Cerrejón Formation, Colombia, Paleocene
- Podocnemis South America, Miocene-Recent
- Subfamily Erymnochelyinae
- †Gestemys Geste Formation, Argentina, Eocene
- †Stupendemys[8] Northern South America, Miocene
- †Carbonemys Cerrejón Formation, Colombia, Paleocene
- PeltocephalusNorthern South America, Late Pleistocene-Recent
- †Ragechelus[18] Farin-Doutchi Formation, Niger, Maastrichtian
- Erymnochelyini (formerly the "Erymnochelys group")
- †Apeshemys[19] (formerly "Podocnemis" aegyptiaca) Egypt, Early Miocene
- †Eocenochelus Eocene, Europe
- ErymnochelysMadagascar, Recent
- †Shetwemys[19] (formerly "Podocnemis" fajumensis) Jebel Qatrani Formation, Egypt, Oligocene Shumaysi Formation, Saudi Arabia, Oligocene
- †Turkanemys Kenya, Miocene-Pliocene
- †Kenyemys Kenya, Miocene-Pliocene
- †Mokelemys Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pliocene
- Stereogenyina
- †Stereogenys cromeri Qasr el Sagha Formation, Egypt, Late Eocene
- †Andrewsemys[20] (formerly "Stereogenys" libyca) Egypt, Late Eocene-Early Oligocene
- †Cordichelys Egypt, Late Eocene
- †Lemurchelys Moghara Formation, Egypt, Early Miocene
- †"Podocnemis" bramlyi Moghara Formation, Egypt, Early Miocene
- †Latentemys Egypt, Miocene
- †Bairdemys Late Oligocene-Miocene, Americas
- †Brontochelys Bugti Hills, Pakistan Early Miocene
- †Shweboemys Pliocene-Pleistocene, Myanmar
- †Piramys[21] India, Late Miocene
- Incertae sedis
- †Neochelys Eocene, Europe
- †"Stereogenys" podocnemoides Qasr el Sagha Formation, Egypt, Late Eocene
- †Dacquemys Birket Qarun Formation, Egypt, Late Eocene, Jebel Qatrani Formation, Egypt, Early Oligocene
- †Albertwoodemys Jebel Qatrani Formation, Egypt, Oligocene
- †Mogharemys Moghara Formation, Egypt, Early Miocene
- Subfamily Podocnemidinae
Morphology based cladogram after Ferreira et al. 2024[22]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- JSTOR 4059902.
Three phalanges on most digits; Zygomatic arch; no parieto-mastoid .. Podocnemididae. Temporal fossa overroofed by parietal.. Podocnemis.
- S2CID 90226667.
- S2CID 83721738.
- PMID 27340204.
- ^ PMID 26157628. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ a b
S2CID 85790134.
The relationships of the family Podocnemididae to its sister taxa Hamadachelys and Brasilemys are recognized by placing them in the epifamily Podocnemidinura. The epifamily Podocnemidinura is the sister group to the family Bothremydidae, and together they form the superfamily Podocnemidoidea.
- ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
- ^ S2CID 83775718.
The family Podocnemididae consists of 20 genera and 30 species considered here as valid and diagnosable by cranial characters. Three of these genera and eight species persist into the Recent fauna, barely reflecting the evolutionary diversity and distribution of the group. The family extends from the late Cretaceous to the Recent and occurs in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- ^ PMID 38471564.
- PMID 32095528.
- ISSN 1477-2019.
- PMID 29657780.
- ISSN 1439-6092.
- PMID 36977459.
- ^ De Lapparent, France. "The oldest pre-Podocnemidid turtle (Chelonii, Pleurodira), from the Early Cretaceous, Ceara State, Brasil, and its environment". Treballs del Museu de Geologia de Barcelona. 9: 43–95. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
In the Podocnemidoidea, Brasilemys n.g. represents the earliest known specimen of the Podocnemidoidae, immediately after the divergence of the Bothremydidae. It is part of the formidable radiation in the Pelomedusoides which occurs during the early Cretaceous when South America separated from Africa.
- ISSN 2056-2802.
- S2CID 134701879.
- S2CID 226238494.
- ^ .
- S2CID 90915135.
- PMID 30479901.
- PMID 38471564.
External links
Media related to Podocnemididae at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Podocnemididae at Wikispecies- "Podocnemididae". Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
