Stylemys

Stylemys (meaning "pillar turtle") is the first fossil genus of dry land tortoise belonging to the order Testudines discovered in the United States. The genus lived in temperate to subtropical areas of North America, Europe, and Asia, based on fossil distribution.[1] The genus was first described in 1851 by Joseph Leidy.[2] The tortoise was common in the prehistoric Badlands, especially Nebraska and South Dakota. The species has also been found in the formations in and around Badlands National Park.

Stylemys
Temporal range: late Eocene to early Oligocene
Skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Testudinidae
Genus: †Stylemys
Leidy 1851

The ancient tortoises had primitive jaw muscles, unlike today's tortoises, which also display the os transiliens bone, and would have been herbivorous. While Stylemys species did exhibit the same neck structure as modern tortoises, the forelimbs were unsuitable for burrowing, setting them apart from modern genera.

Species

A number of species have been described since the genus was named in 1851.[3]

Time period

Eon: Phanerozoic Era: Cenozoic Period: Paleogene Epoch: Eocene

  • S. botti
  • S. calaverensis
  • S. canetotiana
  • S. capax
  • S. conspecta
  • S. copei
  • S. emiliae
  • S. frizaciana
  • S. karakolensis
  • S. nebrascensis (syn. S. amphithorax)
  • S. neglectus
  • S. oregonensis
  • S. pygmea
  • S. uintensis
  • S. undabuna
  • Stylemys conspecta from Tertiary in Oregon
  • Stylemys nebrascensis shell at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin

References
  1. Auffenberg, Walter (1964). "A Redefinition of the Fossil Tortoise Genus Stylemys Leidy". Journal of Paleontology. 38 (2): 316–324. JSTOR 1301552.
  2. Leidy, J. (1851). "Description of Stylemys nebrascensis". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 5: 172–173.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. The Paleobiology Database


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