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The turtles of the Purbeck Limestone Group of Dorset, southern England
Author(s) -
Milner Andrew R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
palaeontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.69
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1475-4983
pISSN - 0031-0239
DOI - 10.1111/j.0031-0239.2004.00418.x
Subject(s) - nomen dubium , holotype , biology , zoology , taxon , genus , paleontology
The turtles from the Purbeck Limestone are revised and it is concluded that there are four shell‐based cryptodire species present, namely Pleurosternon bullockii , ‘ Glyptops ’ typocardium comb. nov., Helochelydra anglica comb. nov., Hylaeochelys latiscutata. There is also one skull‐based species, Dorsetochelys delairi, which may prove to be the skull of ‘ Glyptops ’, Hylaeochelys or an unknown shell‐type. All other taxa are junior synonyms except ‘ Chelone ’ obovata Owen, 1842 and Tretosternon punctatum Owen, 1842 which are nomina dubia , the material being unfigured and either lost or incorrectly associated. Other taxonomic conclusions are that (1) because Tretosternon is a nomen dubium , the next senior name for this Purbeck–Wealden genus is Helochelydra Nopcsa, 1928; (2) ‘ Pleurosternon ’ typocardium and ‘ Glyptops ’ ruetimeyeri are synonymous, the senior combination being ‘ Glyptops ’ typocardium ; (3) the Purbeck ‘ Tretosternon ’ material is combined with the holotype and only specimen of Platychelys ? anglica as Helochelydra anglica comb. nov.; (4) Hylaeochelys emarginata and H. sollasi are junior synonyms of Hylaeochelys latiscutata ; (5) one of Owen's ‘lost’ syntypes of ‘ Tretosternon punctatum ’ has been recognised and is a plastron of Hylaeochelys latiscutata.