New material and a revision of turtles of the genus Adocus (Adocidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Middle Asia and Kazakhstan

E.V. Syromyatnikova and I.G. Danilov

Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, 2009, 313(1): 74–94 · https://doi.org/10.31610/trudyzin/2009.313.1.74

Full text

Abstract

This paper reviews shell material of the turtle genus Adocus (Adocidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Middle Asia and Kazakhstan. Three previously recognized species of Adocus from this area are described in detail based on published and new material. The previously recognized species are A. aksary (Dzharakuduk, Uzbekistan; late Turonian), A. foveatus (Kansai, Tajikistan; early Santonian), and A. kizylkumensis (Khodzhakul, Khodzhakulsay and Sheikhdzheili, Uzbekistan; early Cenomanian). Material of additional forms of Adocus are described, two of these are named as new species: Adocus dzhurtasensis, sp. nov. (Dzhurtas, Kazakhstan; Santonian – early Campanian), Adocus bostobensis, sp. nov. (Akkurgan, Baybishe, Buroinak, and Shakh-Shakh, Kazakhstan; Santonian – early Campanian), and Adocus sp. indet. (Itemir, Uzbekistan; Cenomanian).

Key words

Adocus, Asia, Late Cretaceous, turtles

Submitted October 10, 2008 · Accepted November 25, 2008 · Published March 25, 2009

References

Averianov A.O. and Archibald J.D. 2005. Mammals from the Mid-Cretaceous Khodzhakul Formation, Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan. Cretaceous Research, 26: 593–608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2005.03.007

Chkhikvadze V.M. 1990. Paleogene Turtles of the USSR. Metsniereba, Tbilisi, 95 pp. [In Russian].

Danilov I.G. and Parham J.F. 2005. A reassessment of the referral of an isolated skull from the Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan to the stem-testudinoid turtle genus Lindholmemys. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 25: 784–791. https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0784:AROTRO]2.0.CO;2

Danilov I.G. and Parham J.F. 2006. A redescription of ‘Plesiochelys’ tatsuensis from the Late Jurassic of China, with comments on the antiquity of the crown clade Cryptodira. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26: 573–580. https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[573:AROPTF]2.0.CO;2

Danilov I.G. and Parham J.F. 2008. A reassessment of some poorly known turtles from the Middle Jurassic of China, with comments on the antiquity of extant turtles. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28: 306–318. https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[306:AROSPK]2.0.CO;2

Danilov I.G. and Syromyatnikova E.V. 2008. New materials on turtles of the family Nanhsiungchelyidae from the Cretaceous of Uzbekistan and Mongolia, with a review of the nanhsiungchelyid record in Asia. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 312: 3–25.

Danilov I.G., Syromyatnikova E.V. and Sukhanov V.B. 2007. Turtles of the genus Shachemys from the Upper Cretaceous of Asia. Pp. 59–72. In: A.Yu. Rozanov, A.V. Lopatin and P.Yu. Parkhaev (Eds.). Modern Paleontology: Classical and New Methods – 2007. Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. [In Russian].

Gilmore C.W. 1919. Reptilian faunas of the Torrejon, Puerco, and underlying Upper Cretaceous formations of San Juan County, New Mexico. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 119: 1–75. https://doi.org/10.3133/pp119

Hay O.P. 1908. The Fossil Turtles of North America. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington D.C., 568 pp.

Hirayama R. 1998. Fossil turtles from the Mifune Group (Late Cretaceous) of Kumamoto Prefecture, Western Japan. Pp. 85–99. In: Report of the research on the distribution of important fossils in Kumamoto Prefecture. Dinosaurs from the Mifune Group, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Mifune Town Education Board. [In Japanese].

Hirayama R. 2002. Preliminary report of the fossil turtles from the Kitadani Formation (Early Cretaceous) of the Tetori Group of Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, Central Japan. Memoir of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, 1: 29–40. [In Japanese].

Hutchison J.H. 2000. Diversity of Cretaceous turtle faunas of Eastern Asia and their contribution to the turtle faunas of North America. Paleontological Society of Korea Special Publication, 4: 27–38.

Hutchison J.H. and Bramble D.M. 1981. Homology of the plastral scales of the Kinosternidae and related turtles. Herpetologica, 37: 73–85.

Joyce W.G., Parham J.F., and Gauthier J.A. 2004. Developing a protocol for the conversion of rank-based taxon names to phylogenetically defined clade names, as exemplified by turtles. Journal of Paleontology, 78: 989–1013. https://doi.org/10.1666/0022-3360(2004)078<0989:DAPFTC>2.0.CO;2

Khosatzky L.I. [Khosatzkiy L.I.] and Nessov L.A. [Nesov L.A.] 1977. Turtles of the genus Adocus from the late Cretaceous in the USSR. Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta AN SSSR, 74: 116–119. [In Russian].

Kuznetsov V.V. 1977. Finding of the turtle genus Basilemys in the Late Cretaceous of the USSR. Voprosy Gerpetologii. Avtoreferaty dokladov IV Vsesoyuznoy gerpetologicheskoy konferentsii (1–3 February 1977, Leningrad). Nauka, Leningrad: 124–125. [In Russian].

Kuznetsov V.V. and Chkhikvadze V.M. 1987. Late Cretaceous trionychids from the Shakh-Shakh locality in Kazakhstan. Materialy po istorii fauny i flory Kazakhstana, 9: 33–39. [In Russian].

Lapparent de Broin F. de. 2004. A new Shachemydinae (Chelonii, Cryptodira) from the Lower Cretaceous of Laos: preliminary data. Comptes Rendus Palevol, 3: 387–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2004.05.004

Meylan P.A. and Gaffney E.S. 1989. The skeletal morphology of the Cretaceous cryptodiran turtle, Adocus, and the relationships of the Trionychoidea. American Museum Novitates, 2941: 1–60.

Narmandakh P. 1985. A new species of Adocus from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal, 2: 85–93. [In Russian].

Nessov L.A. [Nesov L.A.] 1977. Skull morphology of Early Cretaceous turtles of the family Adocidae Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta AN SSSR, 74: 75–80. [In Russian].

Nessov L.A. [Nesov L.A.] 1981. On the turtle of the family Dermatemydidae from the Cretaceous of Amur River Basin and some other rare findings of remains of ancient turtles of Asia. Pp. 69–73. In: L.Ya. Borkin (Ed.). Herpetological Investigations in Siberia and the Far East. Zoological Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. [In Russian].

Nessov L.A. 1985 (1984). Data on Late Mesozoic turtles from the USSR. Studia Palaeochelonologica, 1: 215–223.

Nessov L.A. 1986. Some Late Mesozoic and Paleocene turtles of Soviet Middle Asia. Studia Palaeochelonologica, 2: 7–22.

Nessov L.A. 1987. On some Mesozoic turtles of the Soviet Union, Mongolia and China, with comments on systematics. Studia Palaeocheloniologica, 2: 87–102.

Nessov L.A. 1995. On some Mesozoic turtles of the Fergana Depression (Kyrgyzstan) and Dzhungar Alatau Ridge (Kazakhstan). Russian Journal of Herpetology, 2: 134–141.

Nessov L.A. [Nesov L.A.] 1997. Cretaceous nonmarine vertebrates of Northern Eurasia. St. Petersburg State University, Institute of Earth’s Crust, St. Petersburg, 218 pp. [In Russian].

Nessov L.A. [Nesov L.A.] and Khosatzky L.I. [Khosatzkiy L.I.] 1977a. Turtles of Mesozoic of the USSR. Voprosy Gerpetologii. Avtoreferaty dokladov IV Vsesoyuznoy gerpetologicheskoy konferentsii (1–3 February 1977, Leningrad). Nauka, Leningrad: 157–159. [In Russian].

Nessov L.A. [Nesov L.A.] and Khosatzky L.I. [Khosatzkiy L.I.] 1977b. Freshwater turtle from the Early Cretaceous of Fergana. Ezhegodnik Vsesoyuznogo Paleontologicheskogo Obshchestva, 20: 248–262. [In Russian].

Nessov L.A. [Nesov L.A.] and Krasovskaya T.B. 1984. Changes in the composition of turtles assemblages of Late Cretaceous of Middle Asia. Vestnik Leningradskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta, 3: 15–25. [In Russian].

Sukhanov V.B. 2000. Mesozoic turtles of Middle and Central Asia. Pp. 309–367. In: M.J. Benton, M.A. Shishkin, D.M. Unwin and E.N. Kurochkin (Eds.). The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Sukhanov V.B. and Narmandakh P. 2006. New taxa of Mesozoic turtles from Mongolia. Pp. 119–127. In: I.G. Danilov and J.F. Parham (Eds.), Fossil Turtle Research, Vol. 1. Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.

Syromyatnikova E.V. and Danilov I.G. 2007. Morphology of turtles of the genus Adocus from the Upper Cretaceous of Middle Asia and Kazakhstan. Modern Paleontology: Classical and New Methods. The Fourth All-Russian Scientific School for Young Scientists in Paleontology (15–17 October 2007, Moscow, Russia). Abstracts: 48–49. [In Russian].

White R.S. 1972. A recently collected specimen of Adocus (Testudines; Dermatemydidae) from New Jersey. Notulae Naturae, 447: 1–10.

Zangerl R. 1969. The turtle shell. Pp. 311–339. In: C. Gans, A.d.A. Bellairs and T.S. Parsons (Eds.). Biology of Reptilia, Vol. 1, Morphology A. Academic Press, New York.