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The Side-Necked Turtle Family Chelidae: a Theory of Relationships Using Shared Derived Characters

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The Side-Necked Turtle Family Chelidae: a Theory of Relationships Using Shared Derived Characters AMERICAN MUSEUM Noiltates PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 U.S.A. NUMBER 2620 MAY 10, 1977 EUGENE S. GAFFNEY The Side-Necked Turtle Family Chelidae: A Theory of Relationships Using Shared Derived Characters NovitatesAMERICAN MUSEUM PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 Number 2620, pp. 1-28, figs. 1-10, tables 1-3 May 10, 1977 The Side-Necked Turtle Family Chelidae: A Theory of Relationships Using Shared Derived Characters EUGENE S. GAFFNEY' ABSTRACT The South American and Australian side- b. Dorsal processes of exoccipitals meet medi- necked turtles of the family Chelidae are ana- ally above foramen magnum lyzed using the shared derived character tech- c. First vertebral scute narrower than second nique of Hennig. The following hypotheses of Group 4. Tribe Chelini (Phrynops, Chelus, Chelo- monophyly are tested using the characters in- dina, Hydromedusa) dicated (see fig. 10): a. Lateral margins of parietals distinctly re- Group 1. Family Chelidae (Pseudemydura, Emy- duced dura, Elseya, Platemys, Phrynops, Chelus, Group 5. Subtribe Chelina (Chelus, Chelodina, Chelodina, Hydromedusa) Hydromedusa) a. Unusually developed lateral cheek emargi- a. Cervical vertebrae longer than dorsal ver- nation tebrae b. Loss of quadratojugal b. Medial portions of jugal and postorbital c. Loss of mesoplastra facing more laterally than posteriorly Group 2. Subfamily Chelinae (Emydura, Elseya, Group 6. Infratribe Hydromedusad (Chelodina, Platemys, Phrynops, Chelus, Chelodina, Hydromedusa) Hydromedusa) a. Posterolateral process of parietal absent a. Anterior frontal process at least partially b. Extremely reduced horizontal process of separating nasals parietal Group 3. Infrafamily Chelodd (Platemys, Phry- c. Quadrate-basisphenoid contact nops, Chelus, Chelodina, Hydromedusa) d. Four claws on forefoot a. Symphyseal suture separating lower jaw rami INTRODUCTION The purpose of the present paper is to develop tles of the family Chelidae. These turtles are a theory of relationships for the side-necked tur- found in South America, with about 12 living 'Associate Curator, Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, the American Museum of Natural History; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, Columbia University. Copyright O The American Museum of Natural History 1977 ISSN 0003-0082 / Price $1.90 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 2620 species usually recognized, and are the dominant ABBREVIATIONS continental turtles of Australia, where about 14 ANATOMICAL living species occur. The chelids are a predom- ang, angular pa, parietal inantly carnivorous, fresh-water aquatic family art, articular pal, palatine that contains some of the strangest turtles (e.g., bo, basioccipital pf, prefrontal Chelus) as well as some of the rarest (e.g., Pseu- bs, basisphenoid pm, premaxilla demydura). There have been few attempts at ex- cor, coronoid po, postorbital plicit phylogeny reconstruction for the chelid den, dentary pr, prearticular genera and little osteologic information is avail- epi, epipterygoid pt, pterygoid able in the literature. My intention here is a ex, exoccipital qi, quadratojugal phylogeny reconstruction relying primarily on fr, frontal qu, quadrate cranial characters. ju,jugal so, supraoccipital mx, maxilla sq, squamosal My method is derived from that of Hennig na, nasal sur, surangular (1966) and others, and is often termed phyloge- op, opisthotic vo, vomer netic systematics or cladism. As I see it, this method is the closest approach in systematics to the logical criteria emphasized by Popper (1968) INSTITUTIONS as characterizing science. Popper has argued that AMNH, the American Museum of Natural His- the best science is developed in terms of hypoth- tory, New York esis formation and test, in which the tests at- FMNH, Field Museum of Natural History, Chi- tempt to falsify rather than confirm the hypoth- cago esis. In phylogeny reconstruction, hypotheses of NMNH, National Museum of Natural History, relationship are tested by character distributions Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. MCZ, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard in which the characters are analyzed in terms of University, Cambridge primitive and derived. The analysis consists of a WAM, Western Australian Museum, Perth further series of testable hypotheses. Testability, i.e., the potential to criticize and falsify a hy- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS pothesis, is the critical feature. The logical as- pects of phylogenetic systematics and a summary Once again I am grateful to Dr. Samuel B. of the method of using shared derived characters McDowell for allowing me free access to his work in phylogeny reconstruction are presented else- on chelids. Dr. Glen Storr of the Western where (Gaffney, In press; Wiley, 1975) and the Australian Museum very kindly lent me reader is referred to these works and more gen- specimens of Pseudemydura. Dr. Richard eral references (Bonde, 1974; Brundin, 1968; Zweifel, the American Museum of Natural Cracraft, 1972, 1974; Eldredge and Tattersall, History, Dr. George Zug, National Museum of 1975; Hennig, 1965). Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Although fossil chelids are not discussed here, Hymen Marx, Field Museum of Natural History, this is due more to the lack of skull material than and Dr. Emest Williams, Museum of Comparative lack of interest. I am currently engaged in a Zoology, Harvard University, helped in finding study of fossil chelids from Australia, including and lending me material in their care. Mr. John some good skull material of Miocene age. Roger Goode of Frankston, Victoria, obtained Aus- Wood has (in preparation) a study of fossil tralian specimens for me and I appreciate his chelids from South America. Other literature ref- help. erences on fossil chelids may be found in Kuhn (1964) and Mlynarski (1976). PREVIOUS WORK The higher category classification of turtles In the section on Basic Taxa (below) I include used here is developed in Gaffney (1975), and some of the more important literature references the anatomic terminology can be found in Gaff- to particular chelid genera, and here I discuss ney (1972b). some of the more pertinent literature concerning 1977 GAFFNEY: CHELIDAE 3 H FIG. 1. Lateral views of chelid skulls, measurements are midline condylo-premaxilla length. A. Emydura macquarrii (AMNH 110486; 49 mm.). B. Pseudemydura umbrina (WAM R29341; 35 mm.). C. Platemys platycephala (AMNH 74811; 28 mm.). D. Phrynops geoffroanus (AMNH 79048; 60 mm.). E. Hydromedusa tectifera (FMNH 31032; 51 mm.). F. Phrynops (Mesoclemmys) gibba (FMNH 45669; 37 mm.). G. Chelodina expansa (AMNH 108948; 75 mm.). H. Chelus fimbriata (AMNH 108955; 104 mm.). 4 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 2620 phylogeny and reviews of the whole family. Werner (1909) provided more limited infor- Attempts at phylogeny reconstruction involving mation. all or most of the genera in this family are The South American chelids are more poorly virtually nonexistent. Boulenger (1889) and Gray known than the Australian forms and there are (1864) presented "natural" keys, which may be no reviews of them. In addition to the works interpreted as phylogenies. Burbidge, Kirsch, and listed above, useful studies dealing with more Main (1974) come closest to a chelid phylogeny than one genus are Froes (1957), Luederwaldt even though their interests were primarily in the (1926), Siebenrock (1904), and Strauch (1890). Australian forms. On the basis of a phenetic analysis of biochemical data, they conclude that BASIC TAXA Emydura and Elseya have an ancestor in common not found in common with other The theory of chelid relationships developed forms. The three taxa Pseudemydura, here, uses seven generic level taxa as the Emydura-Elseya, and Chelodina are equally fundamental units in the hypothesis. The logical related; that is, they form a trichotomy in their nature of this hypothesis requires that these basic analysis. Furthermore, some South American taxa be strictly monophyletic, but rigorous tests taxa were studied serologically leading to a of monophyly, including studies of species conclusion that the Australian species form one distribution, etc., are beyond the scope of this monophyletic group and the South American paper. I do find it necessary, however, to make a species form another monophyletic group. In partial examination of this problem. general, phenetic studies using morphological My principle difficulty is the small sample of data can be resolved into primitive and derived specimens available for the named genera, and character states (or convergences, etc.) and a the absence of any cranial material objectively phylogenetic study can then deal with the identifiable for many of the species. I have done characters. In the case of serology and related my best with the material at hand, but I suspect methods have been that some of the characters will be subject to techniques numerical more variation than I have indicated. Nonethe- suggested (e.g., Farris, 1972) to analyze phenetic less, I doubt that a more extensive examination data in terms of primitive and advanced of specimens will seriously alter the character dis- characters. Nonetheless, I am not convinced of tributions as I have reported them. In my opin- the usefulness of this approach and, in any case, ion, a more important source of further tests is in Burbidge, Kirsch, and Main (1974) do not pre- other organ systems, such as jaw musculature, sent such an analysis.
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