A new species of a snapping turtle (Pan-Chelydridae/Chelydropsis) from the Upper Miocene (MN9, early Vallesian) of Southwest Germany

Abstract

Chelydropsis is a genus of the clade Pan-Chelydridae, which existed and was distributed in Eurasia from the Eocene to the end of the Pliocene. The Chelydropsis fossil record of North of the Alps is particularly rich throughout the Miocene. In this study, we describe a new Chelydropsis species from the Late Miocene (Vallesian, MN9) fossiliferous site of Höwenegg in southwestern Germany. The new species is based on a nearly complete Chelydropsis skeleton, which stands out among the best preserved and most complete specimens ever found until now. The new species, Chelydropsis heweneggensis sp. nov. is of particular importance. It differs from the coeval Chelydropsis murchisoni, which recent studies suggest is the only Chelydropsis species known to have existed in Europe from the Middle Miocene to the Pliocene. The species described herein thus adds to the diversity of the European Neogene Chelydropsis record.