The phylogenetic relationships of geoemydid turtles from the Eocene Messel Pit Quarry: a first assessment using methods for continuous and discrete characters.

ABSTRACT: The geoemydid turtles of the Eocoene Messel Pit Quarry of Hesse, Germany, are part of a rich Western European fossil record of testudinoids. Originally referred to as "Ocadia" kehreri and "Ocadia" messeliana, their systematic relationships remain unclear. A previous study proposed that a majority of the Western European geoemydids, including the Messel geoemydids, are closely related to the Recent European representatives of the clade Mauremys. Another study hypothesised that the Western European geoemydid fauna is more phylogenetically diverse, and that the Messel geoemydids are closely related to the East Asian turtles Orlitia and Malayemys. Here we present the first quantitative analyses to date that investigate this question. We use continuous charact

SUBMITTER: Ascarrunz E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8349520 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature