Review of Mesozoic and Cenozoic Sea Turtles from the Former Ussr
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Russian Journal of Herpetology Vol. 9, No. 2, 2002, pp. 137 – 154 REVIEW OF MESOZOIC AND CENOZOIC SEA TURTLES FROM THE FORMER USSR Alexander O. Averianov1 Submitted December 17, 2001. A list of 51 localities of fossil sea turtles from the Middle Jurassic, Early and Late Cretaceous, Paleocene, Eocene and Miocene of Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine is provided. For four lo- calities in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine presence of sea turtles is not confirmed by current data. Two new taxa, Dollochelys rogovichi sp.nov. (Cheloniidae, Eocene, Ukraine) and Turgaiscapha kushmu- runica gen. et sp.nov. (Chelonioidea indet., cf. Dermochelyidae, Late Cretaceous, Kazakhstan), are de- scribed. Key words: Cheloniidae, Chelonioidea, Dermochelyidae, Protostegidae, sea turtles, Thalassemydidae. INTRODUCTION St. Petersburg, Russia; EIMIZ, Natural History Mu- seum named after Zardabi, Baku, Azerbaijan; IPG, Turtles entered the open sea several times since Institute of Paleobiology, Georgian Academy of Sci- the beginning of their geologic history. Pronounced ences, Tbilisi, Georgia; IZK, Institute of Zoology, adaptation to this new environment (fore limbs modi- Kazakhstan Academy of Science, Alma-Ata, Ka- fied to swimming, shell lightened by costoperipheral zakhstan; IZU, Institute of Zoology, Ukraine Acad- and plastral fontanels) are found in Late Jurassic Eu- emy of Science, Kiev, Ukraine; PIN, Paleontological ropean Eurysternidae and Early Cretaceous to Recent Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, globally distributed Chelonioidea (monophyletic Russia; ZISP PH (or ZISP PHT), Paleoherpetologi- group, sensu Gaffney and Meylan, 1988). This re- cal collection, Zoological Institute, Russian Acad- view includes all fossil sea turtles localities for the emy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia. territory of the USSR, as known previously, as well as reported here for the first time. Majority of these localities confined to the areas of the Cretaceous- REVIEW OF THE MESOZOIC Paleogene Tethys Ocean, Cretaceous Turgai Straight, AND CENOZOIC SEA TURTLES epicontinental sea of the Russian Platform, and Neo- LOCALITIES gene Paratethys basins (Fig. 1; Table 1). In the list of localities references to all descriptions and illustra- Jurassic tions of the material are given. This review does not include some unpublished materials, currently stud- 1. Peski, Moscow Region, Russia. ied by Prof. V. B. Sukhanov, by Dr. A. A. Yarkov, Geology. Black clays of Moskva Reka Forma- and by the author. Yaxartemys longicauda Riabinin, tion, Meshera Horizon, filling fissures in the Carbon- 1948, known from the juvenile specimens only from iferous limestone. Late Jurassic of Kazakhstan, originally referred to Age. Middle Jurassic, Bajocian-Bathonian. Thalassemydidae (Riabinin, 1948), possibly belongs Material and references. “Bones of skeleton to the Xinjiangchelyidae, a group of Asiatic fresh- and shell fragments of a turtle” (Krupina, 1995:129). water and estuarine waters turtles (Kaznyshkin et al., New genus and species of “Triassic generation” tur- 1990), which are not considered here. tles (Novikov et al. 1998:58). A new genus of Cryp- Collection abbreviations. CCMGE, Cherny- todira “more archaic than the Early Jurassic Kayenta- shev’s Central Museum of Geological Exploration, chelys” (Alifanov and Sennikov, 2001:75). This is an archaic sea turtle, not closely related to other sea tur- 1 Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Uni- tles, recently described as Heckerochelys romani Su- versitetskaya nab. 1, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia. khanov, 2001 and referred to a new family Heckero- 1026-2296/2002/0902-0137 © 2002 Folium Publishing Company 138 Alexander O. Averianov Fig. 1. Localities of the fossil sea turtles for the territory of the USSR. Localities: 1, Peski; 2, Motnya 1; 3, Khodzhakul’ 1; 4, Gubkin; 5, Sheikhdzheili 2; 6, Khodzhakul’sai; 7, Itemir; 8, Chukhonastovka; 9, Bagaevka; 10, Saratov; 11, Nogaity; 12, Polunino; 13, Alymtau; 14, Kyrkkuduk 2; 15, Malaya Serdoba; 16, Rychkovo; 17, Zhuravlevskii; 18, Kushmurun; 19, Malaya Ivanovka; 20, Karpovka; 21, Bakh- chisarai; 22, Vostochnyi; 23, Kol’tso; 24, Darbaza 1 and 2; 25, Dzhylga 1a; 26, Dzhylga 1b and 2; 27, Andarak 2; 28, Getkilnin; 29, Dzhe- roi 1; 30, Dzheroi 2; 31, Khanabad; 32, Maisk; 33, Kentau; 35, Bakhmutovka; 36, Krasnorechenskoe; 37, Kiev; 38, Pirogovo; 39, Koktur- nak; 40, Prolom; 43, Otradnaya; 44, Abadzekhskaya; 45, Tchelkar-Teniz; 47, Perekischkyul’; 48, Agyspe; 50, Belomechetskaya; 51, Dzaudzhikau. The remaining localities cannot be located with confidence. chelyidae (Sukhanov, 2001). Material in the PIN 3. Khodzhakul’ 1, Karakalpakistan, Uzbekistan. collection. Geology. Lower or middle part of the Khodzhakul’ Formation. Early Cretaceous Age. Early Cretaceous, late Albian (possibly, Late Cretaceous, early Cenomanian). 2. Motnya 1, Buryatiya, Russia. Geology. Lower part of Khilok Formation. Material and references. Basisphenoid, CCMGE 2/11478, the holotype of Oxemys gutta Age. Early Cretaceous, Berriasian?. Nessov, 1977 (Nessov, 1977b:47, Figs. V and G; Material and references. Two bridge peripher- als (ZISP PHT B59 – 11) and part of the plastron 1987b, pl. 2, Fig. 6). “Oxemys gutta (Chelonioidea) (?hypoplastron; ZISP PHT B59-12) of “?Chelonio- (Nessov, 1977a:156). “Some Chelonioidea (genus idea fam., gen. et sp. indet.” (Nessov and Khosatzky, Oxemys) (Nessov and Khosatzky, 1977:158). “Oxe- 1981:77, pl. 4, Figs. 11 and 12). “Some poorly deter- mys gutta Ness. (Chelonioidea incertae sedis)” (Ne- mined forms (Chelonioidea?), small and middle- ssov, 1984:216). “Oxemys gutta Ness.” (Nessov, sized” (Nessov, 1984:216). “Chelonioidea (?) indet.” 1988b:96). “Turtles Chelonioidea...: Oxemys gutta” (Nessov, 1997:121, pl. 28, Figs. 13 and 14). (Nessov, 1997:135, pl. 27, Fig. 1). Review of Mesozoic and Cenozoic Sea Turtles from the Former USSR 139 Comments. The basisphenoid of O. gutta is TABLE 1. Taxa of the Sea Turtles Found in the Mesozoic and Ce- clearly of chelonioid type. The rostrum basisphenoi- nozoic of the Former USSR (Numbers of Localities Correspond to Those in the Text and Fig. 1). dale much reduced. The sella turcica obliterated. The Localities (* indicates foramina anterior canalis carotici interni lie close to- Taxon gether (separated by the 1.5 mm distance). The dor- a type locality) sum sellae high, not overhanging the sella turcica, Jurassic and separated from the latter by a bone space with a Heckerochelys romani 1* saggittal crest. The systematic position of this turtle Cretaceous remains enigmatic. Among thousands of turtle shell Oxemys gutta 3* fragments from the Khodzhakul’ locality none could cf. Oxemys sp. 5, 6 be attributed to a chelonioid. The turtle assemblage is Parathalassemys cava 7* dominated by macrobaenid-sinemydid (Kirgizemys, Chelonioidea indet. 2, 10, 12 14, 16, 17 Tienfucheloides) and trionychoid (Adocus, Fergane- Cheloniidae indet. 14 mys, Kizylkumemys, Trionychidae indet.) forms, all Dermochelyidae indet. 4 of which have quite distinct structure of basisphenoid Turgaiscapha kushmurunica 18* Protostegidae indet. 9, 11, 15 (known for trionychoids mentioned, for macrobae- Teguliscapha rossica 4* nids Hangaiemys, Ordosemys, Dracochelys, and si- Teguliscapha(?) sp. 8 nemydid Sinemys). Cenozoic Chelonioidea indet. 21–23, 28, 29, 33–36, 38, 39, 4. Gubkin and Staryi Oskol, 41, 42, 49, 50 Belgorod Region, Russia. Cheloniidae indet. 27, 30 32, 40, 43, 44, 48, 51 Geology. Phosphorite conglomerate within yel- Osteopyginae indet. 20 low and gray sands of the Sekmenov Formation, out- Tasbacka aldabergeni 24, 25*, 26 cropped in the ore quarries Lebedinskyi and Stoilen- cf. Tasbacka sp. 19 Dollochelys rogovichi 37* skii near the cities Gubkin and Staryi Oskol respec- Glarichelys gwinneri 45–47 tively. Age. Early – Late Cretaceous, late Albian — early Cenomanian. 1980 – 1994, by A. O. Averianov and his colleagues Material and references. “Sea turtles in 1991 – 2000. Chelosp[h]arginae” (Nessov, 1985:148). “Plastron, carapace and skull elements, dentary (with moder- Late Cretaceous ately elongated symphysis, without saggittal crest)... of small-sized, primitive, ... oldest known Protostegi- 5. Sheikhdzheili 2, Karakalpakistan, Uzbekistan. dae (Chelospharginae)” (Nessov, 1987a:77). “Chelo- Geology. Upper part of the Khodzhakul’ Forma- spharginae (Teguliscapha)” (Glickman et al., 1987: tion. 258). “Sea turtles of the genus Teguliscapha Nessov, Age. Late Cretaceous, early Cenomanian. 1987 [sic]... relatively advanced in lower jaw struc- Material and references. “Testudines indet.: cf. ture... but retained primitive humerus of thalassoid Oxemys sp.” (Nessov, 1997:139). type” (Nessov, 1987b:89, Fig. 4). “Chelosphargi- 6. Khodzhakul’sai, Karakalpakistan, Uzbekistan. nae... with narrow long shell, thalassoid humerus... Geology. Upper part of the Khodzhakul’ Forma- referred to a new genus Teguliscapha Nessov, tion. gen.nov.” (Nessov et al., 1988:130, Figs. 1(17), 2). Age. Late Cretaceous, early Cenomanian. “Turtles Protostegidae and other [sea turtles]” (Ne- Material and references. “Testudines indet.: cf. ssov, 1997:126). The frontal, parietal, opisthotic, Oxemys sp.” (Nessov, 1997:140). some other cranial fragments, dentary, a number of shell fragments of medium-sized Teguliscapha rossi- 7. Itemir, Bukhara Viloyat, Uzbekistan. ca Nessov, 1988 (Protostegidae, Chelospharginae) Geology. Kulbecke Formation. and much rarer shell fragments of a gigantic archaic Age. Early(?)-Late Cretaceous, late Albian? Dermochelyidae indet. The material (CCMGE