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Titanochelon

Osteichthyes - Testudines - Testudinidae

Discussion

Titanochelon is a new genus created to included mainly the Neogene large testudinids from Europe, which were previously included in the genus Cheirogaster Bergounioux (1935)

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Synonymy list
YearName and author
2014Titanochelon Pérez-García and Vlachos
2017Titanochelon Pérez-García et al.
2018Titanochelon Vlachos and Rabi p. 663
2019Titanochelon Vlachos et al.
2021Titanochelon Perez-Garcia et al.
2021Titanochelon Vlachos
2023Titanochelon Pappa et al.
2025Titanochelon Vega‐Pagán 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
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
RankNameAuthor
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
—Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
—ArchelosauriaCrawford 2015
—Pantestudines
—Testudinata(Oppel 1811)
orderTestudinesBatsch 1788
suborderCryptodira
—Pantestudinoidea
superfamilyTestudinoidea
familyTestudinidaeBatsch 1788
genusTitanochelon

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.

G. †Titanochelon Pérez-García and Vlachos 2014
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†Titanochelon bacharidisi Vlachos et al. 2014
†Titanochelon bolivari Hernandez-Pacheco 1917
†Titanochelon ginsburgi Broin 1977
†Titanochelon kayadibiensis Karl et al. 2021
†Titanochelon perpiniana Depéret 1885
†Titanochelon punicum Arambourg 1979
†Titanochelon richardi Bergounioux 1938
†Titanochelon schafferi Szalai 1931
†Titanochelon schleichi Pappa et al. 2023
†Titanochelon vitodurana Biedermann 1862
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Invalid names: Testudo picteti Biedermann 1862 [synonym]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
E. Vlachos 2021The members of Geochelonini represented in the Greek fossil record can be easily distinguished from those belonging to Testudinini (see below) based on several characters from the shell: large size, with individuals that reach or exceed one meter in carapace length; absence of cervical scute; contact between marginal 6 and pleural 3; and absence of a plastral hinge.
I. Pappa et al. 2023belongs to Geochelonini based on the contact between the pleural 3 and marginal 6
K. A. Vega‐Pagán et al. 2025Species of Titanochelon with shell length reaching over 100 cm with an elongate (longer than wide) and slightly rounded shell. Low skull with straight dorsal profile; slightly laterally concave maxillae; mediolaterally constricted frontals and posteriorly constricted narrow prefrontal–frontal region at the level of the orbits in dorsal view; notably slender orbital rims; moderately deep upper temporal emargination (i.e. parietal–frontal suture 1.5 times as long as the parietal– postorbital); prootic anteroposteriorly long and narrow; straight and slightly posterodorsally projected crista supraoccipitalis; premaxillary cusp present; elliptical premaxillary pit, and triturating surface with a marked commissural ridge; lack of tooth-like tubercles on the median maxillary ridge (= accessory ridge); in posterior view, fenestra postotica open; foramen jugulare posterius located in exoccipital; presence of a medial tooth on the dentary hook; interdigitated suture between dentary and surangular; small foramen nervi auriculotemporalis and foramen intermandibularis caudalis present; angular not contributing to the sulcus cartilaginis meckelii; and prearticular bone not extending beyond the coronoid in lingual view. Shell with a marked nuchal notch, anterior protrusion of nuchal and lack of cervical scute; trilobed anterior plastral lobe; anteriorly protruding gulars; globular dorsal morphology of epiplastral border; well-developed gular pocket; gular scutes either posteriorly rounded or diagonally straight; gular scutes to entoplastron contact absent or overlapping; lateral portion of humero-pectoral sulcus perpendicular to the axial plane with anteriorly convex lateral parts and located posterior to the entoplastron; medially V-shaped pectoroabdominal sulci with abdominal scutes that slightly protrude anteriorly; and omega-shaped femoro-anal sulcus.
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 MN 4 to the top of the Gelasian or 16.90000 to 1.80000 Ma

Collections (74 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Early/Lower Miocene23.04 - 15.98Portugal (Lisbon) Testudo bolivari (184304)
Burdigalian20.45 - 15.98Spain (Catalonia) T. bolivari (205815)
Burdigalian20.45 - 15.98Spain (Lardero) T. bolivari (217466 217467)
Burdigalian20.45 - 15.98Portugal (Lisbon) T. bolivari (35989)
Burdigalian - Langhian20.45 - 13.82Germany (Baden-Wurttemberg) Geochelone sp. (106003)
Orleanian20.0 - 15.98Spain (Madrid) Geochelone bolivari (40747)
MN 416.9 - 15.98France (Centre) Testudo ginsburgi (69116)
Langhian15.98 - 13.82Portugal (Lisbon) T. bolivari (35986)
Langhian15.98 - 13.82Germany (Bavaria) Geochelone perpiniana (34615)
Langhian15.98 - 13.82Spain T. bolivari (187337 187341)
Langhian15.98 - 13.82Spain (Catalonia) T. sp. (180192)
MN 5 - MN 615.98 - 12.75Türkiye (Ankara) Cheirogaster bolivari (68561)
MN 5 - MN 615.98 - 12.75Portugal Testudo bolivari (65912)
Langhian - Serravallian15.98 - 11.63Spain T. bolivari (187338 187347)
Middle Miocene15.98 - 11.63Spain Cheirogaster bolivari (144667) Testudo bolivari (144666)
Middle Miocene15.98 - 11.63Spain (Segovia) Cheirogaster bolivari (208187)
Middle Miocene15.98 - 11.63Spain (Madrid) Cheirogaster bolivari (197674)
Middle Miocene15.98 - 11.63Türkiye (Mugla) Cheirogaster bolivari (184394)
Middle Miocene15.98 - 11.63Portugal (Azambuja Municipality) T. bolivari (184303)
Badenian13.82 - 12.8Czechia (Brno) T. sp. (207955)
Serravallian13.82 - 11.63Switzerland (Zurich) Testudo picteti (198617) Testudo vitodurana (198616)
Serravallian13.82 - 11.63Spain Testudo sp. (187336) T. bolivari (187339 187342 187343 187344 187345 187346)
Sarmatian12.8 - 11.63Türkiye Cheirogaster bolivari (56563)
MN 7 + 812.75 - 11.1Spain (Cataluña) Testudo richardi (92640)
Vallesian11.63 - 8.725Spain (Catalonia) T. richardi (193491 193496 275763)
Vallesian11.63 - 8.725Spain Cheirogaster richardi (144670)
Tortonian11.63 - 7.246Germany (Bavaria) T. sp. (206345)
Tortonian11.63 - 7.246Spain T. bolivari (187340)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333Greece (Pieria) T. sp. (226433 226434 226435 226437 226439 226440)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333Greece (Aegean) Testudo schafferi (182751) Testudo sp. (202120)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333Greece (Chalkidona) Testudo sp. (182750)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333Türkiye (Afyon) Cheirogaster bolivari (184398)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333Türkiye (Konya) Cheirogaster bolivari (184395)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333Greece (Kassandra) T. sp. (202330)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333Greece (Attica) Testudo schafferi (182754) Testudo sp. (183121)
MN 109.67 - 8.725Spain (Madrid) Testudinidae indet. (197661)
MN 118.725 - 7.9Spain (Alicante) Cheirogaster bolivari (68914)
Turolian8.725 - 5.09Greece (Makedonia Thraki) Chelonia indet. (157582)
Messinian7.246 - 5.333Greece T. schafferi (95690 95691)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Tunisia (Bizerte ) Testudo punica (211247)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Spain (Murcia) T. sp. (185681)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Bulgaria (Yambol) Testudo sp. (184410)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6France (Pyrénées-Orientales) Testudo perpiniana (178672)
Early/Lower Pliocene - Late/Upper Pliocene5.333 - 2.58Greece (Thessaloniki) Cheirogaster bacharidisi (182672 182673 182674)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.58France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region) Testudo perpiniana (36103)
Zanclean - Piacenzian5.333 - 2.58France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region) Cheirogaster perpiniana (36985)
Ruscinian5.09 - 3.55Greece Testudo sp. (36579)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.58Greece (Grevena) T. sp. (185859)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.58Spain (Alcolea de Calatrava) Cheirogaster sp. (224542)
Gelasian2.58 - 1.8Spain (Granada) T. sp. (77773)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Greece (Lesvos) Testudinata indet. (183341)