Euclastes

Yew-clas-teez.
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Name

Euclastes.

Phonetic

Yew-clas-teez.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Testudines,‭ ‬Cryptodira,‭ ‬Chelonioidea.

Diet

Durophagous‭ (‬eater of shelled organisms‭)‬.

Species

E.‭ ‬acutirostris,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬gosseleti,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬meriodionalis,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬platyops,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬wielandi

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

Angola.‭ ‬Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Jag�el Formation,‭ ‬Roca Formation.‭ ‬Chile‭ ‬-‭ ‬Quiriquina Formation.‭ ‬Morocco.‭ ‬USA,‭ ‬California‭ ‬-‭ ‬Moreno Formation,‭ ‬Maryland‭ ‬-‭ ‬Aquia Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous to the Thanetian of the Paleocene.

Fossil representation

Several individuals,‭ ‬usually of skull remains.

In Depth

       Euclastes is a genus of marine cryptodiran turtle that lived from the late cretaceous to the early Paleocene.‭ ‬Euclastes is noted for having a partial secondary palate,‭ ‬and a mouth suited for crushing the shells of armoured animals such as crustaceans and shelled molluscs.‭ ‬A former species,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬hutchisoni,‭ ‬has now been reassigned to Pacifichelys,‭ ‬while another species,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬coahuilaensis,‭ ‬has now been moved to Mexichelys.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Un nuevo osteopigino‭ (‬Chelonii:‭ ‬Cryptodira‭) ‬de la Formaci�n Roca‭ (‬Paleoceno inferior‭) ‬de Cerros Bayos,‭ ‬provincia de La Pampa,‭ ‬Argentina.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ameghiniana‭ ‬37‭(‬2‭)‬:235-246.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬de la Fuente‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬Casadio‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000. -‭ ‬Euclastes acutirostris,‭ ‬a new species of littoral turtle‭ (‬Cryptodira,‭ ‬Cheloniidae‭) ‬from the Palaeocene phosphates of Morocco‭ (‬Oulad Abdoun Basin,‭ ‬Danian-Thanetian‭) [‬Euclastes acutirostris,‭ ‬une nouvelle esp�ce de tortue littorale‭ (‬Cryptodira,‭ ‬Cheloniidae‭) ‬des phosphates pal�oc�nes du Maroc‭ (‬Bassin des Oulad Abdoun,‭ ‬Danien-Than�tien‭)] ‬-‭ ‬Nour-Eddine Jalila,‭ ‬France de Lapparent de Broinb,‭ ‬Nathalie Bardetb,‭ ‬Renaud Vacantb,‭ ‬Ba�di Bouyac,‭ ‬Mbarek Amaghzazc‭ & ‬Sa�d Meslouhd‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT