Sankuchemys, a New Side-Necked Turtle (Pelomedusoides: Bothremydidae) from the Late Cretaceous of India Author GAFFNEY, EUGENE S. Author FORSTER, CATHERINE A. text American Museum Novitates 2003 2003-05-22 3397 1 11 http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1206/0003-0082%282003%29397%3C0001%3ASTLJPB%3E2.0.CO%3B2 journal article 10.1206/0003-0082(2003)397<0001:STLJPB>2.0.CO;2 0003-0082 Sankuchemys , new genus TYPE SPECIES : Sankuchemys sethnai , new genus and species . DISTRIBUTION: Maastrichtian of Bombay , India . ETYMOLOGY: Sankuch , ‘‘compressed’’ in Sanskrit, in allusion to the remarkably crushed type specimen. DIAGNOSIS: A genus of bothremydid pleurodire with triangular skull, orbits dorsolaterally placed; extensive temporal emargination and small postorbital as in Kurmademys ( Gaffney et al., 2001b ) and in contrast to all other bothremydids; triturating surfaces roughly parallel and without pits, but with accessory ridge parallel to labial ridge unique among bothremydids; foramen posterius canalis carotici interni formed by pterygoid and basisphenoid in contrast to basisphenoid only in Kurmademys ; foramen stapedio­temporale not visible in dorsal view as in other bothremydids, but in contrast to Kurmademys ; prootic and foramen nervi facialis exposed in ventral view as in Kurmademys . DISCUSSION: Although many characters are visible in the type skull of Sankuchemys , one important area completely wrecked in SDS/ VPL 1125 is the cavum tympani. This region has many characters important in bothremydid systematics ( Gaffney et al., 2001a , 2001b ) that are not determinable for this taxon. The occiput is also reduced to two dimensions completely obscuring foramina and features in that area. Nonetheless, SDS/VPL 1125 does preserve enough characters to show its distinctness from all other taxa and to test its relationships using currently available hypotheses.