''Itapecuruemys'' ("Itapecuru turtle") is an extinct
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 ...
of
bothremydid
Bothremydidae is an extinct family of side-necked turtles (Pleurodira) known from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic. They are closely related to Podocnemididae, and are amongst the most widely distributed pleurodire groups, with their fossils having b ...
pleurodiran turtle that was discovered in the
Itapecuru Formation of Brazil.
[Batista, Diego L.; de Sousa Carvalho, I.; de la Fuente, M.S. (2020). "A new Cretaceous (Pleurodira: Pelomedusoides) from the Lower Cretaceous of Parnaíba Basin, Brazil": Journal of South American Earth Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102872] It is a monotypic genus, with only
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 ...
''Itapecuruemys amazoniensis'' known.
Etymology
The genus was named for the
Itapecuru Formation of Brazil, the locality from which the remains of ''Itapecuruemys'' were recovered.
The specific epithet is named after the
Legal Amazon region, where it was found.
Description
The carapace of ''Itapecuruemys amazoniensis'' is broad and low. The lateral margins converge posteriorly, with the widest point level with the fourth rib. Most of the carapace is unknown, consisting of one nuchal and several suprapygal plates, as well as seven neural plates and sixteen ribs. The first neural vertebra is similar to that of ''
Kurmademys''. The second to fifth neurals more closely resemble ''
Foxemys''. The nuchal plate is preserved only by a fragment of the anterior-most portion.
Scute preservation for ''Itapecuruemys'' is poor, with only the second and third vertebral scutes and second, third and fourth pleurals being recognizable.
References
Bothremydidae
Prehistoric turtle genera
Albian life
Early Cretaceous turtles
Early Cretaceous reptiles of South America
Cretaceous Brazil
Fossils of Brazil
Fossil taxa described in 2020
Monotypic turtle genera
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