Chelid Turtles (Pleurodira, Chelidae) from the Miocene Camfield Beds, Northern Territory of Australia, with a Description of a New Genus and Species
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19427438 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dirk Megirian, Peter Murray (0000-0002-2141-4144, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1999 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Pages | 75-130 |
| Publication date | 1999-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Beagle Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0811-3653 |
| Publisher | Smithsonian Institution (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.5962/p.266446 |
| OpenAlex | W2298126687 |
| Language | EN |
The Bullock Creek Local Fauna (mid Miocene Camfield Beds, Northern Territory of Australia) contains five or possibly six species of chelid turtles (Pleurodira: Chelidae), though only one form is sufficiently represented to be named.Birlimarr gajfneyi gen.et sp.nov. is a small (carapace length: 160 mm), short¬ necked species represented by a complete skeleton.A phylogenetic analysis of cranial and shell characters resolves the new genus as quite derived amongst Australian short-necked chelids, the plesiomorphic sister taxon to a clade composed of Emydura plus an Elseya dentata 'generic group'.Three other forms are diagnosed on shell material to genus or suprageneric level: a large (carapace length ca.440 mm) short¬ necked form is designated gen.aff.Emydura/Eheya sp.indet.and two long-necked forms are designated Chelodina sp.A and sp.B. Additional shell material indicates a fifth and possibly a sixth chelid species is present in the assemblage, but the lower level affinities of these forms cannot be determined.The Emvdura/Elseya form is similar but not identical to previously described 'Emydura' material from the Miocene of South Australia (Wipajiri and Namba Formations), while a previously described carapace from the Miocene of western Queensland (Carl Creek Limestone) may represent a species of Birlimarr gen.nov.The Carl Creek Limestone and Camfield Beds assemblages are similarly diverse, approximating the maximum sympatric diversity recorded in extant assemblages: palacocnvironmental conditions at these two Miocene localities thus appear to have been optimal for chelid diversity.Many of the Camfield Beds specimens show evidence of predation by crocodiles
Biology · Carapace · Clade · Crustacean · Fauna · Genus · Phylogenetic tree · Sister group · Taxon · Zoology · Evolution and Paleontology Studies · Ichthyology and Marine Biology · Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology · Ecology · Paleontology
| Highly cited | No |
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