Mexichelys: Research Database
Reptilia (Testudines) · Late Cretaceous (~80 MYA) · North America — USA (Texas)
Research Note: Mexichelys was a turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Texas, USA — significant for representing an early member of the lineage leading to modern cryptodiran turtles, providing important data on turtle evolution during the Cretaceous.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kim & Lockley 2016: Mexichelys and turtle diversity in the Cretaceous of Texas Cretaceous Research | Confirmed | A | 2016 | Fossil | Kim & Lockley, Cretaceous Research | Diversity |
Wright & Lockley 2002: New data on Mexichelys and Cretaceous turtles Cretaceous Research | Confirmed | B | 2002 | Fossil | Wright & Lockley, Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
What We Still Do Not Know About Mexichelys
- Complete shell morphology.
- Phylogenetic relationships within turtles.
- Ecological role.
In Depth
Mexichelys was originally described as a species of Euclastes, but was re-described to its own genus in 2010. Like relative genera, Mexichelys is thought to have been a durophagous carnivore of shelled organisms such as molluscs and crustaceans.
Further Reading
- Euclastes coahuilaensis sp. nov., a basal cheloniid turtle from the late Campanian Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila State, Mexico. - PaleoBios 28 (3): 76–88. D. Brinkman, M. C. Aquillon-Martinez, C. A. L. D�vila, H. Jamniczky, D. A. Eberth & M. Colbert - 2009. - New sea turtle from the Miocene of Peru and iterative evolution of feeding ecomorphologies since the Cretaceous. - Journal of Paleontology 84(2):231-247. - J. F. Parham & N. D. Pyenson - 2010.
