''Manchurochelys'' 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
turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
. It existed during the early
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 ...
of what is now northeast
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. It has been found in the Jianshangou Bed of West
Liaoning
)
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong
, image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, ...
's
Yixian Formation
The Yixian Formation (; formerly Romanization of Chinese, transcribed as Yihsien Formation or Yixiang Formation) is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans the Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous. I ...
. However, it is a rarely found fossil.
''Manchurochelys'' was first named by Endo and Shikama in 1942, and contains the single species, ''M. manchoukuoensis'' (sometimes misspelled ''M. manchouensis''). A second species, ''M. liaoxensis'', was named in 1995 but was later shown to be a species of ''
Ordosemys''.
[Tong, H., Ji, S. and Ji, Q. (2004).]
''Ordosemys'' (Testudines, Cryptodira) from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, northeastern China: new specimens and systematic revision.
American Museum Novitates, 3438: 1-20. It has been occasionally placed in the family
Sinemydidae, although it is said to more likely belong in the family Macrobaenidae.
Fossil Turtle Newsletter.
Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
References
Further reading
* ''The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia'' by Michael J. Benton, Mikhail A. Shishkin, David M. Unwin, and Evgenii N. Kurochkin
* ''The Osteology of the Reptiles'' by Alfred Sherwood Romer
External links
''Manchurochelys''
at the Paleobiology Database
The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms.
History
The Paleobiology Database originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ...
Paleo File.com's Alphabetical list, M. section.
Early Cretaceous reptiles of Asia
Sinemydidae
Yixian fauna
Prehistoric turtle genera
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