NEW REMAINS AND PRELIMINARY PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF NEUSTICEMYS NEUQUINA (TESTUDINATA) FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF NEUQUÉN BASIN (ARGENTINA)

DE LA FUENTE, M.S.; STERLI, J.; FERNANDEZ, M. S

Mendoza

Congreso; 4th International Palaeontological Congress; 2014

Neusticemys neuquina (Fernández and de la Fuente) is a Tithoniansea turtle with an unusual pattern in the manus andpescharacterized by a relative elongation of both the forelimb and hind limb, an elongation of pedal digit V, achieved through the elongation of the bones, as well as a moderate hyperphalangy. This species is recorded from lower Tithonianlevels (VirgatosphinctesmendozanusBiozone) at Cerro Lotena to upper Tithonianlevels (SubsteueroceraskoeneniBiozone) at Trincajueraof the VacaMuerta Formation (Neuquén Province, Argentina). Up to date N. neuquina was only known from post-cranial remains of seven specimens, with cranial remains partially preserved in two of them, and with a lower jaw preserved in other two specimens. The discovery of a new specimen at Cerro Lotena (MACN Pv N105) with articulated remains of skull and post-cranium belonging to a subadultspecimen enhances the previous knowledge of this species. To start exploring the phylogenetic relationships of N. neuquina, it was included in a data matrix built up by 102 characters and 240 taxa. The preliminary analysis suggests that Neusticemysneuquina is a stem Testudines closely related toSolnhofiaparsonsi and Thalassemysmoseri from the Upper Jurassic of Europe, and Santanachelysgaffneyi from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil.