Data from: New bothremydid turtle (Testudines, Pleurodira) from the Paleocene of north-eastern Colombia

A new turtle, Puentemys mushaisaensis, from the middle to late Paleocene Cerrejón Formation of Colombia, is described on the basis of a partial skull and many partial to nearly complete carapaces and plastrons representing multiple ontogenetic stages. Whereas P. mushaisaensis is unique in aspects of its shell morphology, it shares many diagnostic characteristics of bothremydid pleurodirans, including a long exoccipital-quadrate contact, a very low and rounded almost circular carapace, and a thinner internal bone cortex than that of the external cortex in both the carapace and plastron. With a maximum carapacial length of 151 cm, P. mushaisaensis is the largest known bothremydid turtle and represents the first occurrence of bothremydids in the Paleogene of South American tropics. Results from a cladistic analysis of bothremydids indicate that P. mushaisaensis shares a close relationship with Foxemys mechinorum from the Late Cretaceous of Europe, indicating a wide-spread geographical distribution for bothremydines during the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene.本文基于采自哥伦比亚中古新世-晚古新世塞雷洪组（Cerrejón Formation）的一件残破头骨，以及多件代表不同个体发育阶段（ontogenetic stages）的部分至近乎完整的背甲（carapace）与腹甲（plastron）标本，记述了一新种龟类——普恩特龟（Puentemys mushaisaensis）。尽管该种的背甲形态存在独特之处，但它仍具备博茨雷米德科侧颈龟类（bothremydid pleurodirans）的诸多鉴定特征，包括外枕骨-方骨的长接触结构、低矮圆润且近乎圆形的背甲，以及背甲与腹甲的内部骨皮质厚度均小于外部骨皮质。普恩特龟的最大背甲长度可达151厘米，是目前已知体型最大的博茨雷米德科龟类，同时也是南美热带古近纪（Paleogene）地层中首次发现的博茨雷米德科龟类。针对博茨雷米德科龟类的支序分类分析（cladistic analysis）结果显示，普恩特龟与产自欧洲晚白垩世的福克斯龟（Foxemys mechinorum）亲缘关系密切，这表明博茨雷米德龟亚科（bothremydines）在晚白垩世-古新世期间曾拥有广泛的地理分布。