''Gilmoremys'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

softshell turtle Trionychidae is a family of turtles, commonly known as softshell turtles or simply softshells. The family was described by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can adapt to li ...

which lived during the late

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

(

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...

stage) of

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Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, United States.

Remains

''Gilmoremys'' is known from five skulls, a

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

and an incomplete postcranial skeleton. The

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

of ''G. lancensis'', USNM 6727, consists of a nearly complete carapace and an isolated hyoplastral fragment, was first assigned to the species '' Aspideretes lancensis''. Many additional specimens were later discovered including cranial remains, and the material was assigned to its own genus, ''Gilmoremys''. It was found from the Hell Creek Formation and from the Lance Formation (only the holotype). It was first named by Walter G. Joyce and Tyler R. Lyson in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

is ''Gilmoremys lancensis''. The generic name honors Dr. Charles W. Gilmore. A second species, ''G. gettyspherensis'', is known from the late Campanian Fruitland Formation of New Mexico.

Morphology

Juveniles of this species have narrow skulls, a narrow processus trochlearis oticum, a deep and narrow median palatal groove, low accessory ridges, and a secondary palate fully formed by the maxilla, skeletally mature individuals have notably broad skulls, a broad processus trochlearis oticum, a shallow but broad median palatal groove, high accessory ridges, and a substantial contribution of the vomer to the secondary palate. Two large trionychid skulls and isolated shell pieces have been discovered in deposits of the Hell Creek Formation exposed in Carter County, Montana, southeastern Montana. The skulls are noticeably larger than those previously discovered and differ in their overall form by being significantly broader. Detailed analysis reveals that the new skulls and shell fragments correspond with changes in overall form representing an ontogenetic shift towards the adult morphology of this species.

Phylogeny

Cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

after Joyce & Lyson, 2011:

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5562540 Plastomeninae Prehistoric turtle genera Late Cretaceous turtles of North America Hell Creek fauna Fossil taxa described in 2011