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Axestemys montinsana

Reptilia - Testudines - Trionychidae

Taxonomy
Axestemys montinsana was named by Vitek (2012). Its type specimen is UMMP 27029, a partial skeleton (a skull, partial lower jaw, partial carapace, fragmentary entoplastron, hyoplastron, and hypoplastron, xiphiplastron, five cervical vertebrae, a partial pelvic ), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Scarritt Quarry, which is in a Tiffanian terrestrial horizon in the Melville Formation of Montana.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
2012Axestemys montinsana Vitek pp. 19-22
2015Axestemys montinsana Vitek and Joyce
2018Axestemys montinsana Lichtig and Lucas p. 369

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
RankNameAuthor
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
—Testudinata(Oppel 1811)
orderTestudinesBatsch 1788
suborderCryptodira
familyTrionychidaeGray 1825
subfamilyTrionychinaeGray 1825
genusAxestemys
speciesmontinsana

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Axestemys montinsana Vitek 2012
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
N. S. Vitek 2012Axestemys montinsana is diagnosed as a member of Axestemys by a maximum carapace length of at least 60 cm, presence of sculpturing on the skull roof, a blunt and triangular skull, a broad and rugose triturating surface, deep maxillae, presence of a preneural, and a single hyoplastral process. Axestemys montinsana can be differentiated from other members of Axestemys by the unique combination of a wide, smooth, unsculptured border around the carapacial callosity, the absence of suprascapular fontanelles, a smooth hyoplastral-hypoplastral callosity but sculptured xiphiplastral callosity, and dorsal processes on cervical vertebrae
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Body part: carapacef
Adult length: 100 to < 1000f
Grouping: solitaryf
Environment: brackish, freshwaterf
Locomotion: actively mobilef
Life habit: aquaticf
Diet: piscivoref
Diet 2: carnivoref
Reproduction: oviparousf
Created: 2005-08-25 13:24:04
Modified: 2005-09-09 19:45:41
Source: f = family, subp = subphylum
References: Ernst and Barbour 1989, Carroll 1988

Age range: base of the Puercan to the top of the Tiffanian or 66.00000 to 56.20000 Ma

Collections (4 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Puercan66.0 - 63.8USA (North Dakota) Axestemys montinsana (141585)
Torrejonian63.8 - 60.9USA (New Mexico) Axestemys montinsana (197327 197328)
Tiffanian60.9 - 56.2USA (Montana) Axestemys montinsana (type locality: 15064)