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Titanochelon bacharidisi

Osteichthyes - Testudines - Testudinidae

Discussion

Named after Mr. Nikolaos Bacharidis, who discovered and excavated the type specimen

Taxonomy
Cheirogaster bacharidisi was named by Vlachos et al. (2014). Its type specimen is LGPUT EPN 100-199, a partial skeleton (an almost complete skeleton, missing most of the carapace), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Epanomi (=EPN), which is in a Pliocene/Pliocene fluvial claystone in the Gonia Formation of Greece.

It was recombined as Titanochelon bacharidisi by Pérez-García and Vlachos (2014), Lujan et al. (2017), Vlachos (2021).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
2014Titanochelon bacharidisi Pérez-García and Vlachos
2014Cheirogaster bacharidisi Vlachos et al.
2017Titanochelon bacharidisi Lujan et al.
2021Titanochelon bacharidisi Vlachos

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
RankNameAuthor
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
Testudinata(Oppel 1811)
orderTestudinesBatsch 1788
suborderCryptodira
Pantestudinoidea
superfamilyTestudinoidea
familyTestudinidaeBatsch 1788
genusTitanochelon
speciesbacharidisi()

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.

Titanochelon bacharidisi Vlachos et al. 2014
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
E. Vlachos 2021This species is a member of the derived geocheloninan clade Titanochelon, sharing several characters with other titanochelons, including presence of frontals narrower than prefrontals, a long crista supraoccipitalis, the presence of an elliptical to circular premaxillary pit, two suprapygals, the first surrounding the lenticular second one, absence of cervical scute, a convex to flat dorsal lip of the epiplastra, a humero-pectoral sulcus that is perpendicular to the axial plane in the medial region, but with a well-developed lateral change of curvature, very short pectoral scutes in the sagittal plane, but markedly expanded, toward the anterior region, laterally. Among other titanochelons, Titanochelon bacharidisi is diagnosed because of the position of the fossa orbitalis in the midway between the apertura narium externa and the posterior tip of the squamosal; a zygomatic arch that is thick and short; squamosal processes converging posteriorly toward the midline; extended ventral emargination, short gulars contacting the anterior part of the entoplastron, which is covered medially only by humeral scutes; and its posterior border coinciding with the humero-pectoral sulcus. This species was also characterized by the presence of at least one conical, bony, thigh tubercle on each side of the tail (found in anatomical position in the Nea Kallikratia material shown in Fig. 5d and isolated in the Epanomi holotype), similar to the morphology of the extant African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata).
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialf
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingf
Diet: herbivoref
Diet 2: herbivoref
Reproduction: oviparousf
Created: 2005-08-26 07:16:55
Modified: 2005-09-09 16:16:46
Source: f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Carroll 1988, Ernst and Barbour 1989, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: base of the Ruscinian to the top of the Early/Lower Pliocene or 5.09000 to 3.60000 Ma

Collections (5 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Bulgaria (Yambol) Testudo sp. (184410)
Early/Lower Pliocene - Late/Upper Pliocene5.333 - 2.58Greece (Thessaloniki) Cheirogaster bacharidisi (type locality: 182672 182673 182674)
Ruscinian5.09 - 3.55Greece Testudo sp. (36579)