[Paleontology • 2015] Xiaochelys ningchengensis • A Sinemydid Turtle from the Jehol Biota provides insights into the Basal Divergence of Crown Turtles

[Paleontology • 2015] Xiaochelys ningchengensis • A Sinemydid Turtle from the Jehol Biota provides insights into the Basal Divergence of Crown Turtles

Xiaochelys ningchengensis in its freshwater environment, preying on a small fish Lycoptera found in the same layer as the turtle

Reconstruction: W. S. Wang

The newly-described fossil species, Xiaochelys ningchengensis, from northeastern China’s Jehol Biota; right: an illustration of the skeleton incorporating positive and negative impressions preserved in the layers of stone.

DOI: 10.1038/srep16299

Abstract

Morphological phylogenies stand in a major conflict with molecular hypotheses regarding the phylogeny of Cryptodira, the most diverse and widely distributed clade of extant turtles. However, molecular hypotheses are often considered a better estimate of phylogeny given that it is more consistent with the stratigraphic and geographic distribution of extinct taxa. That morphology fails to reproduce the molecular topology partly originates from problematic character polarization due to yet another contradiction around the composition of the cryptodiran stem lineage. Extinct sinemydids are one of these problematic clades: they have been either placed among stem-cryptodires, stem-chelonioid sea turtles, or even stem-turtles. 

 

A new sinemydid from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota (Yixian Formation, Barremian-Early Aptian) of China, Xiaochelys ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov., allows for a reassessment of the phylogenetic position of Sinemydidae. Our analysis indicates that sinemydids mostly share symplesiomorphies with sea turtles and their purported placement outside the crown-group of turtles is an artefact of previous datasets. The best current phylogenetic estimate is therefore that sinemydids are part of the stem lineage of Cryptodira together with an array of other Jurassic to Cretaceous taxa. Our study further emphasises the importance of using molecular scaffolds in global turtle analyses.

Systematic Palaeontology.

Testudinata Klein, 1760

Testudines Batsch, 1788

Pan-Cryptodira Joyce, Parham, and Gauthier, 2004

Sinemydidae sensu Rabi, Sukhanov, Egorova, Danilov, and Joyce 2014

Xiaochelys ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov.

Holotype: Articulated skeleton of a potentially juvenile or subadult individual obtained in two slabs, PMOL-AR00210 (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5; see Supplementary Note for a discussion on the ontogenetic status of the specimen).

Type locality and horizon: The fossil site is near to Yang-shu-wan-zi Village, Bi-si-ying-zi Township, Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia; Early Cretaceous, Yixian Formation, Barremian-Early–Aptian.

Etymology: Chinese Pinyin ‘Xiao’, refers to the small size of the taxon, ‘chelys’ Greek ‘turtle’; the specific epithet refers to the type locality.

Chang-Fu Zhou and Márton Rabi. 2015. A Sinemydid Turtle from the Jehol Biota provides insights into the Basal Divergence of Crown Turtles. Scientific Reports 5, Article number: 16299. DOI: 10.1038/srep16299

New insights into the family tree of modern turtles http://phy.so/368088542