Tacuarembemys

Tacuarembemys ("Tacuarembó turtle") is an extinct genus of continental turtle from South America. It contains a single species, T. kusterae. The genus was described based on the external mold of a carapace and associated shell bone fragments found near the city of Tacuarembó, Uruguay.[1] This fossil was found on the Tacuarembó Formation, whose estimated age ranges from late Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous.[2]

Tacuarembemys
Temporal range: Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Genus: †Tacuarembemys
Perea et al., 2014
Species:
†T. kusterae
Binomial name
†Tacuarembemys kusterae
Perea et al., 2014

It is the first turtle to be discovered in South American continental deposits of that age, and shows a unique combination of traits (shared and derived), who allows the recognition of this fossil as a new genus. Despite that, more remains are needed to clarify its phylogenetic relationships.[1] The estimated length of carapace is 18 cm.

The histology of its plates, a shell that is dorsoventrally low, and the paleoenvironment proposed for the Tacuarembó Formation (permanent and temporary streams and lakes[2]), support the ecology of this genus as semiaquatic and mainly aquatic turtles.[1]

References
  1. Perea, Daniel; Soto, Matías; Sterli, Juliana; Mesa, Valeria; Toriño, Pablo; Roland, Guillermo; Da Silva, Jorge (2014-09-19). "Tacuarembemys kusterae , gen. et sp. nov., a new Late Jurassic–?earliest Cretaceous continental turtle from western Gondwana". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (6): 1329–1341. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.859620. ISSN 0272-4634.
  2. Perea, Daniel; Soto, Matías; Veroslavsky, Gerardo; Martínez, Sergio; Ubilla, Martín (2009). "A Late Jurassic fossil assemblage in Gondwana: Biostratigraphy and correlations of the Tacuarembó Formation, Parana Basin, Uruguay". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 28 (2): 168–179. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2009.03.009.
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