Chubutemys

Chubutemys; Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 112 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Pantestudines
Clade:	Testudinata
Clade:	Perichelydia
Clade:	†Meiolaniformes
Genus:	†Chubutemys; Gaffney et al., 2007
Type species
	Chubutemys copelloi; Gaffney et al., 2007

Chubutemys was an extinct genus of meiolaniform turtle. It lived during the Early Cretaceous of Argentina, around the Albian-Aptian border, within the Puesto La Paloma Member of the Cerro Barcino Formation. It is known from most of the skeleton and carapace, and part of the skull.

Description

A skeleton, including most of the skull, is known for Chubutemys. As the skull was found in the same quarry as the postcranial skeleton, it was decided to be likely to be from the same individual. The shell of the specimen is remarkably thin.^[1]

Classification

Chubutemys is a turtle that is relatively easy to classify. Among related genera, Sterli et al. found Patagoniaemys to be the most unstable genus. The cladogram below shows the relationships of Chubutemys, and three possible placements of Patagoniaemys:^[1]

Testudinata

Proganochelys quenstedti

Proterochersis robusta

Kayentachelys aprix

	Patagoniaemys gasparinae

	Eileanchelys waldmani

Testudines

Meiolaniformes

Chubutemys copelloi

Patagoniaemys gasparinae

	Mongolochelys efremovi

	Pelogrochelys walshae

Patagoniaemys gasparinae

	Otwayemys cuncularis

	Kallokibotion bajazidi

Meiolaniidae

Niolamia argentina

Ninjemys oweni

	Warkalania carinaminor

	Meiolania platyceps

Paleoecology

Chubutemys is from the Cerro Barcino Formation. A locality of many turtles, nicknamed "Turtle Town", located within the Puesto La Paloma Member of the formation, contains fossils of Chubutemys. The formation includes many layers of pyrloclastic-rich rocks, and the different layers are many different colours. The layer inside the Puesto La Paloma Member, which is coloured green, was dated to the Albian-Aptian boundary.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Sterli, J.; Fuente, M.S.; Umazano, A.M. (2013). "New remains and new insights on the Gondwanan meiolaniform turtle Chubutemys copelloi from the Lower Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina" (PDF). Gondwana Research. 27 (2013): 978–994. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2013.08.016. hdl:11336/19701.

[sterli2013-1] Sterli, J.; Fuente, M.S.; Umazano, A.M. (2013). "New remains and new insights on the Gondwanan meiolaniform turtle Chubutemys copelloi from the Lower Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina" (PDF). Gondwana Research. 27 (2013): 978–994. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2013.08.016. hdl:11336/19701.

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