A new genus of Bothremydidae (Chelonii, Pleurodira) in the Cretaceous of Southwestern Europe

Although the Bothremydidae are the most abundant and diverse group of turtles in the Upper Cretaceous fauna of Europe. the record attributed to the genus Elochelys was, until now, quite scarce. However, the revision of the specimens previously attributed to this taxon and the analysis of new material from the Spanish record significantly increase our knowledge of these turtles. Evaluation of the morphological variability, affecting many characters that have been considered diagnostic until now and comparisons with other members of the node Bothremydini, allow us to amend the diagnosis of the genus Elochelys, recognising Elochelys perfecta as a valid single species and reassigning its other representative, Elochelys convenarum, to the new genus Iberoccitanemys. (c) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.