Acleistochelys, a New Side-Necked Turtle (Pelomedusoides: Bothremydidae) from the Paleocene of Mali

• Published in: American Museum novitates Vol. 3549; no. 1; pp. 1 - 24
• Main Authors: Gaffney, Eugene S, Roberts, Eric, Sissoko, Famory, Bouaré, Mohamed L, Tapanila, Leif, O'leary, Maureen A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Central Park West, 79th Street, New York, NY 10024–5192 American Museum of Natural History Library 2007
• Subjects: Acleistochelys; Algeria, Adrar; Mali
• ISSN: 0003-0082; 1937-352X
• DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2007)3549[1:AANSTP]2.0.CO;2

The Paleocene Teberemt Formation south of the Adrar des Iforas Mountains, between Saguirilidad and In Fargas, Mali, yielded a nearly complete skull of a new genus and species of side-necked turtle, Acleistochelys maliensis. Acleistochelys is a member of the family Bothremydidae Baur, 1891, because: 1 the fossa precolumellaris is absent, 2 the foramen stapedio-temporale faces anteriorly, 3 the eustachian tube is separated from the stapes by bone, and 4 an exoccipital-quadrate contact is present. Within the Bothremydidae, Acleistochelys belongs to the tribe Taphrosphyini because: 1 the maxilla-quadratojugal contact is absent, 2 the palate is dorsally arched, 3 there is only a small contribution of the palatine to the triturating surfaces, and 4 the septum orbitotemporale is at least partially open. Acleistochelys is most closely related to Azabbaremys because both share a narrow vomer lacking a posterior attachment to the palatines. The specimen was found in a marine limestone associated with crocodiles, echinoids, and mollusks.