''Aplax'' is a
dubious genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
extinct thalassochelydia
Thalassochelydia is a clade of extinct marine turtles from the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous of Europe and South America. The group is defined as including ''Eurysternum'', ''Plesiochelys'' and '' Thalassemys'' to the exclusion of '' Pe ...
n turtle from the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987.
In European lithostratigraphy, the ...
of
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. The type and only species is ''Aplax oberndorferi'', named by
Hermann von Meyer in
1843
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for a complete juvenile skeleton from the early
Tithonian
In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by t ...
of the
Solnhofen Formation in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
. Despite being aware that shell morphology changes during growth, Meyer named ''Aplax'' due to his consideration it represented a relative of ''
Dermochelys'', where the adults lack distinction of shell regions as in ''Aplax''. However the taxon was later referred to
Thalassochelydia
Thalassochelydia is a clade of extinct marine turtles from the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous of Europe and South America. The group is defined as including ''Eurysternum'', ''Plesiochelys'' and '' Thalassemys'' to the exclusion of '' Pe ...
by Anquetin and colleagues in
2017
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, and due to the loss of the original holotype it cannot be identified as a distinct taxon of a juvenile of existing Solnhofen turtles and is therefore a ''
nomen dubium
In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application.
Zoology
In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...
''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q96372248
Thalassochelydia
Prehistoric turtle genera
Tithonian genera
Late Jurassic turtles
Late Jurassic reptiles of Europe
Jurassic Germany
Fossils of Germany
Nomina dubia
Fossil taxa described in 1843
Taxa named by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer