Axestemys montinsana Vitek 2012 (softshell turtle)

Reptilia - Testudines - Trionychidae

Full reference: N. S. Vitek. 2012. Giant fossil soft-shelled turtles of North America. Palaeontologia Electronica 15(1):13A

Belongs to Axestemys according to A. Lichtig and S. G. Lucas 2018

See also Vitek 2012 and Vitek and Joyce 2015

Sister taxa: Axestemys byssina, Axestemys byssinus, Axestemys cerevisia, Axestemys erquelinnensis, Axestemys infernalis, Axestemys quinni, Axestemys splendidus, Axestemys vittata, Rafetus (Axestemys) exquisitus, Rafetus (Axestemys) nelsoni

Type specimen: UMMP 27029, a partial skeleton (a skull, partial lower jaw, partial carapace, fragmentary entoplastron, hyoplastron, and hypoplastron, xiphiplastron, five cervical vertebrae, a partial pelvic ). Its type locality is Scarritt Quarry, which is in a Tiffanian terrestrial horizon in the Melville Formation of Montana.

Ecology: aquatic piscivore-carnivore

Distribution:

• Paleocene of United States (4: Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota collections)

Total: 4 collections each including a single occurrence

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Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.


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