PBDB Taxon

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Gopherus laticuneus

Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae

Taxonomy

Testudo laticuneus was named by Cope (1873). Its type specimen is AMNH 1160, a shell (essentially complete shell with some of the internal skeleton), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Horsetail Creek, which is in a Chadronian terrestrial horizon in the White River Formation of Colorado.

It was corrected as Testudo laticunea by Hay (1902), Hay (1930), Gilmore (1946); it was recombined as Scaptochelys laticunea by Bramble (1982); it was recombined as Gopherus (Oligopherus) laticuneus by Hutchison (1996); it was recombined as Gopherus laticuneus by Wall and Maddox (1998), Reynoso and Montellano-Ballesteros (2004); it was misspelled as Gopherus laticunea by Williams (1950); it was recombined as Oligopherus laticuneus by Vlachos and Rabi (2018), Vlachos (2018).

Synonyms

Testudo praeextans was named by Lambe (1913). Its type specimen is CMN 8401 (holotype), a shell, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Old Woman Creek, which is in an Orellan terrestrial horizon in Wyoming.

It was synonymized subjectively with Scaptochelys laticunea by Bramble (1982); it was synonymized subjectively with Gopherus (Oligopherus) laticuneus by Hutchison (1996); it was synonymized subjectively with Gopherus laticuneus by Wall and Maddox (1998), Reynoso and Montellano-Ballesteros (2004); it was synonymized subjectively with Oligopherus laticuneus by Vlachos (2018).
Testudo thomsoni was named by Hay (1908). Its type specimen is AMNH 3940 (holotype), a partial skeleton (skull, shell fragments, and associated appendicular elements), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Corral Draw (Lower Nodular Zone), which is in an Orellan terrestrial horizon in the Brule Formation of South Dakota.

It was synonymized subjectively with Gopherus (Oligopherus) laticuneus by Hutchison (1996); it was synonymized subjectively with Gopherus laticuneus by Wall and Maddox (1998), Reynoso and Montellano-Ballesteros (2004); it was considered a nomen dubium by Auffenberg (1963); it was synonymized subjectively with Oligopherus laticuneus by Vlachos (2018).
Testudo undabuna was named by Loomis (1909). Its type specimen is ACM 2007 (holotype), a carapace, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Muddy Creek, which is in an Arikareean terrestrial horizon in the Upper Harrison Formation of Wyoming.

It was recombined as Stylemys undabuna by Bramble (1982); it was synonymized subjectively with Oligopherus laticuneus by Vlachos (2018).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1873	Testudo laticuneus Cope p. 6
1902	Testudo laticunea Hay p. 451
1908	Testudo thomsoni Hay
1909	Testudo undabuna Loomis
1913	Testudo praeextans Lambe
1930	Testudo laticunea Hay p. 104
1930	Testudo praeextans Hay p. 104
1930	Testudo thomsoni Hay p. 105
1930	Testudo undabuna Hay p. 105
1946	Testudo praeextans Gilmore p. 293
1946	Testudo laticunea Gilmore p. 307
1950	Gopherus laticunea Williams p. 25
1982	Scaptochelys laticunea Bramble p. 854
1982	Stylemys undabuna Bramble p. 854
1996	Gopherus (Oligopherus) laticuneus Hutchison p. 348
1998	Gopherus laticuneus Wall and Maddox p. 11
2004	Gopherus laticuneus Reynoso and Montellano-Ballesteros p. 824
2018	Oligopherus laticuneus Vlachos
2018	Oligopherus laticuneus Vlachos and Rabi p. 663

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria

Rank	Name	Author
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
—	Testudinata	(Oppel 1811)
order	Testudines	Batsch 1788
suborder	Cryptodira
—	Pantestudinoidea
superfamily	Testudinoidea
family	Testudinidae	Batsch 1788
genus	Gopherus	Rafinesque 1832
species	laticuneus	()

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.

†Gopherus laticuneus Cope 1873

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Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
E. Vlachos 2018	Oligopherus laticuneus can be diagnosed as a member of Pan-Testudinidae based on the presence of a rectangular neural III. Oligopherus laticuneus differs from other members of Pan-Testudinidae by the following combination of characters: low-domed shell, shell bones moderately thin, epiplastron flattened with a very shallow excavation, gular protrusion present, cervical scute wide as long and often wedge-shaped, pleural I not covering the nuchal, and presence of a pygal scute.

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: Ernst and Barbour 1989, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: base of the Chadronian to the top of the Orellan or 37.00000 to 31.80000 Ma

Collections (9 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Chadronian	37.0 - 33.9	USA (Nebraska)	Gopherus laticuneus (99591 99593 99595)
Chadronian	37.0 - 33.9	USA (Colorado)	Testudo laticuneus (type locality: 16977)
Chadronian - Orellan	37.0 - 31.8	USA (Nebraska)	Gopherus laticuneus (99594)
Orellan	33.9 - 31.8	USA (Wyoming)	Testudo laticunea (99850 99851)
Orellan	33.9 - 31.8	USA (Nebraska)	Gopherus laticuneus (99590 99592)