African Chelonians from the Jurassic to the Present: Phases of Development and Preliminary Catalogue of the Fossil Record
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Palaeont. afr., 36,43-82 (2000) AFRICAN CHELONIANS FROM THE JURASSIC TO THE PRESENT: PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY CATALOGUE OF THE FOSSIL RECORD. by France de Lapparent de Broin Museum national d ’histoire naturelle, Laboratoire de Paleontologie -UMR 8569 du CNRS. 8, rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France. ABSTRACT The five major phases in the palaeontological history of African chelonians are presented: 1) autochthonous development of the north Gondwanan pleurodires from a Pangean source group; 2) littoral expansion of a member of this group (Bothremydidae), accompanied by the arrival of Laurasian marine turtles; 3) in situ development of pleurodires and the immigration of Eurasian cryptodires (Oligo-Miocene) traversing the Tethys in several waves; 4) great diversification and endemism (Pliocene to Holocene); 5) important faunal reduction due to climatic changes at the end of Holocene times (cooling, aridification); elsewhere, great speciation and arrival during the Present of the last European immigrant in the north. Throughout the period under consideration there were several reductions in taxonomic diversity and emigrations from Africa. A preliminary catalogue of the fossil record of African chelonians is given, presented country by country followed by a taxonomic listing. KEYWORDS: Fossil chelonians, Africa, stratigraphy, taxonomy INTRODUCTION Hirayama 1985), as for example with two important This work is based on data collected for a presentation African taxa: Trionychidae and Testudinidae. Step by on the settlement of chelonians in Africa which I gave at step, the suppression of artificial genera is in progress, as the PSSA’98 conference in Windhoek, Namibia has happened with the partition of Clemmys, Trionyx (Lapparent de Broin 1998). It is not the result of a (based on extant forms only), Testudo s.s. and systematic study of African chelonians and the Agrionemys (a part of Testudo s.l.) and Podocnemis, catalogue presented here does not pretend to be but not yet with Geochelone, probably the last artificial complete but it attempts to include all named taxa. Some taxon (with the remaining part of Testudo s.l.). At family data on Pliocene to more recent archaeological sites are level, the partition of the Pelomedusidae in the several not included, in particular those published recently (from families constituting the hyperfamily Pelomedusoides, is 1998), nor are references to chelonians in more general also widely admitted by the scientific community. works where descriptions of the forms dealt with are not included. However, the data presented here can Environment reasonably claim to document the spread of chelonians An important point about the analysis of the African in Africa. chelonians is recognition of the role of the environment The classification adopted here is based on phylogeny in the geographic spread of taxa. (Gaffney & Meylan 1988, emend. Bour& Dubois 1986; In the catalogue that follows, the environment is Broin 1988a,b, Lapparent de Broin & Murelaga 1999; specified in the catalogue only when it is littoral or Lapparent de Broin & Werner 1998) ; it reflects the marine: the term ‘littoral’ is assigned to some pleurodire diversification of taxa as well as their palaeo- turtles, e.g. the Bothremydidae which lack paddled biogeographic history (continental drift, geographic limbs, and followed coastlines, not crossing wide barriers, changes in climate) from the Triassic to the seaways. The term ‘marine’ is attributed to the Present. Phenetic systematics is rejected in this study; cryptodires Chelonioidea and Dermochelyoidea (here such classifications are still employed by a number of separated for better comprehension), which have neontologists who establish compilations only for the paddled limbs, are able to cross oceans and to live in deep practical purposes of determination and distribution of seas. They are also found, as fossils, in littoral extant forms, without the necessity of a historical palaeoenvironments. Originally they were continental analysis (e.g. David 1994; Iverson 1992). They include and then become littoral (as did the Bothremydidae), artificial polyphyletic taxa. However, it should be noted before they conquered deep seas. The other chelonian that, in the classifications adopted in this study, parts are taxa are continental, i.e. either freshwater (the not fully phylogenetic because several proposed majority), sometimes possibly semi aquatic-semi cladograms do not integrate the fossil forms (except for terrestrial, or fully terrestrial, similar to the primitive a few genera) (Bour 1985; Gaffney & Meylan 1988; Triassic chelonians and their pareiasaurid ancestors PALAEONTOLOGIA AFRICANA VOLUME 36 - 2000 D 44 (see Lee 1997). Thus, in Africa, the oldest known form, New Guinea and Australia by Trionychidae and the very primitive Hettangian South African taxon Carettochelyidae. Australochelys from the Stormberg group of the Karoo, was unquestionably a continental form. In the PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT Testudininei the relatively large forms are also able to Fossil chelonians are known from 32 African- cross short seaways, floating in suitable currents (Bour Arabian countries and seven groups of islands (Figure 1985, 1987, 1994, conquest of Indian Ocean islands). 1). Arabia (the Arabian Peninsula), Madagascar, the Some small freshwater forms, such as Pelomedusa or surrounding Indian Ocean islands, Malta and Cape Pelusios were probably carried on floating debris, by Verde Islands are an integral part of the African domain currents during typhoons, or tsunamis, or freshwater (Figures 7 and 8). The Canary Islands and floods and brackish water currents and were able to Mediterranean islands other than Malta have not been colonize Indian Ocean islands separated by considerable integrated into this study, although they share faunas distances from the African mainland. The small which are similar in part to those from the northern part freshwater forms have never been known to cross of Africa. Fossil African chelonians are known from the oceans unaided and in order to spread they utilised a earliest Jurassic until the Present. The extensive network of freshwater rivers, lakes and ponds. The geographic and stratigraphic data now available allow a Trionychoidea are freshwater turtles with paddled limbs very close idea of the truth concerning the progressive and they are able to cross a short seaway or to follow a colonization of the continent by chelonians. Study of the coastline, from the mouth of the home river, being taxa already defined shows that Africa was initially carried by inshore currents to enter other rivers farther populated by primitive forms, already present during the down the coast, as observed for example in Trionyx in Pangean period, very soon after the appearance of the western Africa (Hughes pers. comm.) and various first known chelonians (Norian-Keuper). Continental observations in the Mediterranean and colonization of drift then separated the land masses. Until the relatively recent arrival of Eurasian forms during the Oligocene, Africa was isolated during the Cretaceous and Palaeogene as far as continental forms of chelonians are concerned. Africa was still linked to India during Cretaceous times at least and had filtered relations with southwestern Europe during Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeogene times. The Pleurodira (chelonians with a pelvis linked by sutures to the shell and which progressively acquired a neck retracting in an horizontal plane) principally developed in the territories of the fragmented Gondwana (although some forms, e.g. the Dortokidae, evolved in Europe, Lapparent de Broin & Murelagal996,1999; Gheerbrant etal. 2000), while the Cryptodira (which progressively acquired a neck retracting in a vertical plane) were spreading in Laurasia. But Cryptodira progressively immigrated into Africa, in waves, to the point where they now comprise the majority of the African chelonian fauna. First phase: autochthonous development from a Pangean group First chelonians known in the world The earliest known chelonians are Late Triassic Figure 1. Countries of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the vicinity ofMadagascar, with a record of fossil chelonians. (Keuper-Norian) but it is not possible to say which is the Africa: AL, Algeria; AN, Angola; CVI, Cape Verde oldest taxon (Figure 2). The form that seems the most Islands; CB, Congo: People’s Republic of (ex Congo- primitive (taken as a whole, because, apart from its Brazzaville); CH, Chad; CZ, Congo: Democratic primitive traits, it also has derived characters), is Republic of (ex Zaire, Congo-Kinshasa); D, Djibouti: Proganochelys quenstedti Baur 1887, Germany Republic of; EG, Egypt; ET, Ethiopia; G, Ghana; K, Kenya; L, Libya; LO, Lesotho; MA, Mali; MAL, (Fraas 1899; Gaffney 1990; Jaekel 1918), but this form, Malta; MAU, Mauritania; MO, Morocco; MW, which is placed in its own infraorder, is not the oldest in Malawi; MZ, Mozambique; NA, Nigeria; NI, Niger; the German Triassic. The supposedly related forms, aff. NM, Namibia; SA, South Africa; SE, Senegal; SO, Proganochelys sp., from the Norian of Greenland Somalia; SU, Sudan; TA, Tanzania; TU, Tunisia; U, (Jenkins et al. 1994) and aff. P. ruchae Broin 1985 Uganda; Z, Zimbabwe. Arabian Peninsula: SAA, Saudi Arabia; AD, Abu Dhabi: Emirate of, United Arab (Broin et al. 1982), from the Norian of Thailand, are Emirates; O, Oman: Sultanate of. Madagascar area: M, poorly known but they appear a little more derived. They Madagascar and Gloriosa; A, Aldabra and SE Y, Seychelles share