Evolution Of The Side-Necked Turtles: The Family Podocnemididae
Author
Gaffney, Eugene S.
Author
Meylan, Peter A.
Author
Wood, Roger C.
Author
Simons, Elwyn
Author
De Almeida Campos, Diogenes
text
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
2011
2011-04-29
2011
350
1
237
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1206/350.1
journal article
10.1206/350.1
0003-0090
Bairdemys sanchezi
Gaffney et al., 2008
TYPE
SPECIMEN
: Skull, jaws, and anterior plastral fragment (
Gaffney et al., 2008
). AMU-CURS 186; collector: Orangel Aguilera, Alcaldía del Municipio Urumaco, Colección Rodolfo Sánchez.
TYPE
LOCALITY
: Tío Gregorio,
Falcón State
,
Venezuela
(Aguilera, 2004). Locality coordinates: 11
°
14
9
43
0
N
, 70
°
18
9
19
0
W
. The Tío Gregorio locality represents the top of the upper member in the Urumaco Formation, and may be on the same stratigraphic level as the
MCZ
quarry in Tío Gregorio.
HORIZON
: Upper Member of the Urumaco Formation.
DIAGNOSIS
: A species of
Bairdemys
differing from all other
Bairdemys
species
in having a low triturating surface convexity and shallow triturating surface concavity, a smaller basisphenoid acutely pointed anteriorly, a small skull, and an extensive cheek and temporal emargination; also differs from
B. hartsteini
in having a convex rather than straight labial ridge in ventral view; also differs from
B. venezuelensis
in having a long midline pterygoid contact and a premaxillary notch, and also differs from
B. winklerae
in having a short, broad snout with a convex labial ridge in ventral view, a premaxillary notch, and a triturating surface that is narrower anteriorly and wider posteriorly.
REFERRED
MATERIAL
: None.
PREVIOUS
WORK
:
Gaffney et al. (2008)
.
DISCUSSION
: This specimen is described and figured in
Gaffney et al. (2008)
. The small size, flatter triturating surface, and extensive temporal and cheek emargination provide ready distinction of this species from the other species of
Bairdemys
. The shell fragment consists of the entoplastron and most of both epiplastra. The scale pattern is very similar to that of
Bairdemys venezuelensis
figured in
Gaffney et al. (2006
: fig. 275).