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Chersina langebaanwegi

Osteichthyes - Testudines - Testudinidae

Discussion

Derivation of name: The species name, meaning of Langebaanweg, derives from the site where it was collected, and is currently the only site at which it has been identified. Worth noting is that turtles represent the most common vertebrate taxon at Langebaanweg, and that this species is by far the most common taxon in the turtle assemblage. This species is dedicated to Prof. Margaretha D. Hofmeyr (19502020) for her commitment to the study of African extant tortoises and for having promoted the study of the fossil tortoises from Langebaanweg.

Zoobank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A8B93307-034E-4D7F-96BC-B17F8F32B122.

Taxonomy
Chersina langebaanwegi was named by Delfino et al. (2024). Its type specimen is SAM-PQL-20734, a skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Lang. E Quarry-GM, which is in a Miocene foreshore conglomerate in the Varswater Formation of South Africa.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
2024Chersina langebaanwegi Delfino et al.

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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
subfamilyTestudininae
genusChersinaGray 1831
specieslangebaanwegi

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.

Chersina langebaanwegi Delfino et al. 2024
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
M. Delfino et al. 2024Member of testudinid genus Chersina because of the following combination of characters: wide vertebral scutes almost equal to the vertebral scutes; single trapezoidal suprapygal, notched pygal, and distinct gular protrusion covered by fused gulars scutes. Differing from Chersina angulata regarding the following characters: the shell is distinctly domed and not relatively low and elongated as in C. angulata, the nuchal is not as significantly arched (in anterior view) as that of C. angulata, and does not develop a ventral transversal ridge with medial notch and a dorsal shelf as in C. angulata, the cervical is, on the dorsal surface, much broader and proportionally longer than that of C. angulata, the first neural is hexagonal and not rectangular as in C. angulata, most of the neurals host the ribheads and not regularly the costals as in C. angulata, the sixth marginal scute does not contact the third pleural scute as in C. angulata, the anterior protrusion of the plastron (the gular protrusion of the epiplastra) is comparatively more developed than in C. angulata (especially in males, the dorsal surface of the epiplastral lips is nearly flat or very slightly convex and not variably concave as in C. angulata, the epiplastral lips in most of the cases end posteriorly with a nearly straight or moderately convex profile (in most cases not producing any significant pocket) and not with a very strong convexity as in C. angulata (which regularly has a very deep gular pocket), the entoplastron is wider than long instead of being longer than wide, or circular, as in C. angulata.
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: Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988, Ernst and Barbour 1989

Age range: Late/Upper Miocene or 11.63000 to 5.33300 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333South Africa Chersina sp. (type locality: 22219)