A Solemys Skull from the Late Cretaceous of Southern France
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Geological Setting
3. Systematic Palaeontology
3.1. Description and Comparisons
3.1.1. Skull (Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3)
3.1.2. Shell (Figure 4)
4. Phylogenetic Analyses
5. Discussion
5.1. Systematic Assignment
5.2. Phylogenetic Relationships of Solemys
5.3. Relationships of Helochelydridae with Other Clades and Higher Relationships
6. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Characters/Taxon | Solemys gaudryi | Helochelydra nopcsai | Naomichelys speciosa | Aragochersis lignitesta |
---|---|---|---|---|
Skull roof surface ornamentation | Present, fine tubercles and vermiculated ridges that are coalesced and not dislocated | Present, isolated pustules that are not coalesced but easily dislocated | Present, isolated pus- tules that are not coalesced but easily dislocated | Present, short, broad and blunt irregular tubercles, in contact with each other, generating a roughsurface |
Skull surface sculpture matching that of the shell | Yes | Yes | Yes | No? |
Skull roof scales | Present | Absent | Present | Absent |
Temporal emargination | Small | Absent | Wider than in Solemys | Small |
Supraoccipital exposure on skull roof | Very small or absent | Large, between the parietals | Small, posterior to the parietals | Very small or absent |
Squamosal expanded medially behind the parietal | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Contribution of the parietal to the temporal margin | Large, greater than that of squamosal | Smaller than that of squamosal | Smaller than that of squamosal | Large, greater than that of squamosal |
Parietal excluded from foramen nervi trigemini edge by epipterygoid/prootic contact | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Quadrate exposed between processus paroccipitalis of the opisthotic and squamosal dorsally | Yes, ventral to squamosal/opithotic suture | Yes, dorsal to squamosal/opithotic suture | No | ? |
Quadratojugal fully covers the processus articularis laterally | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pterygoids fully cover parabasisphenoid ventrally | Yes | Yes | No | Yes? |
Tubercula basioccipitale | Two pairs Not posterior directed Posterior pair less developed than anterior | Two pairs Posteriorly directed Two pairs similar in size | Two pairs Posteriorly directed Two pairs similar in size | Two pairs Posteriorly directed Two pairs similar in size |
Anterior pair of tubercula basioccipitale | Formed by pterygoids and basioccipital | Formed entirely by pterygoids | Formed entirely by pterygoids | Formed entirely by pterygoids |
Position of condylus occipitalis relative to condylus mandibularis | Very close to one another | Close to one another | Distant from one another | Distant from one another |
Foramen pro ramo vidiani exposed on ventral surface | Yes | Yes? | Yes | ? |
Osseous subdivision between the inner and middle ear cavities | Present | Absent | Absent | ? |
Processus interfenestralis of the opisthotic | Present | Absent | Absent | ? |
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Tong, H.; Buffetaut, E.; Méchin, P.; Méchin-Salessy, A.; Claude, J. A Solemys Skull from the Late Cretaceous of Southern France. Diversity 2023, 15, 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010058
Tong H, Buffetaut E, Méchin P, Méchin-Salessy A, Claude J. A Solemys Skull from the Late Cretaceous of Southern France. Diversity. 2023; 15(1):58. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010058
Chicago/Turabian StyleTong, Haiyan, Eric Buffetaut, Patrick Méchin, Annie Méchin-Salessy, and Julien Claude. 2023. "A Solemys Skull from the Late Cretaceous of Southern France" Diversity 15, no. 1: 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010058