A new species of a snapping turtle (<i>Pan-Chelydridae</i>/<i>Chelydropsis</i>) from the Upper Miocene (MN9, early Vallesian) of Southwest Germany

<i>Chelydropsis</i> is a genus of the clade <i>Pan-Chelydridae</i>, which existed and was distributed in Eurasia from the Eocene to the end of the Pliocene. The <i>Chelydropsis</i> fossil record of North of the Alps is particularly rich throughout the Miocene. In this study, we describe a new <i>Chelydropsis</i> species from the Late Miocene (Vallesian, MN9) fossiliferous site of Höwenegg in southwestern Germany. The new species is based on a nearly complete <i>Chelydropsis</i> skeleton, which stands out among the best preserved and most complete specimens ever found until now. The new species, <i>Chelydropsis heweneggensis</i> sp. nov. is of particular importance. It differs from the coeval <i>Chelydropsis murchisoni</i>, which recent studies suggest is the only <i>Chelydropsis</i> species known to have existed in Europe from the Middle Miocene to the Pliocene. The species described herein thus adds to the diversity of the European Neogene <i>Chelydropsis</i> record.