Ummulisani Gaffney, Tong, and Meylan, 2006

Gaffney, Eugene S. & Tong, Haiyan, 2008, Redescription of the Skull of Ummulisani rutgersensis Gaffney, Tong, and Meylan, 2006, a Bothremydid Side-Necked Turtle from the Eocene of Morocco, American Museum Novitates 3615 (1), pp. 1-20 : 4

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1206/607.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0452F93B-E53A-FFE1-F041-FDAEFBFADD85
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scientific name	Ummulisani Gaffney, Tong, and Meylan, 2006
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TYPE AND ONLY INCLUDED SPECIES: Ummulisani rutgersensis Gaffney, Tong, and Meylan, 2006 .

DISTRIBUTION: Eocene of Morocco.

ETYMOLOGY: Ummu-’lIhsan, Arabic, ‘‘moth- er of integrity’’ is the originally (Gaffney et al., 2006:103) intended etymology. According to our present editor (M. Knight, personal commun.), this was transliterated in error when the ‘‘h’’ was dropped from the genus name, so that it may be translated as ‘‘the mother of the tongue’’ or ‘‘the mother of language’’ (Ummu ’l-lisan).

REVISED DIAGNOSIS: A member of the tribe Taphrosphyini with the unique feature of a hornlike, anterodorsal process on each prefrontal. Other distinguishing features are a partially open septum orbitotemporale in contrast to other Taphrosphyini such as Nigeremys and Arenila ; apertura narium externa smaller than in Rhothonemys , but similar in size to Phosphatochelys ; preorbital part of skull short, in contrast to Taphrosphys and Labrostochelys ; triturating surface unique in having very deep labial ridge beneath orbit with very low to absent labial ridge beneath apertura narium externa; labial ridge and maxilla very thin, as in Labrostochelys and in contrast to Phosphatochelys and Rhothonemys ; wide quadrate-basisphenoid contact, as in Taphrosphys and in contrast to all other Taphrosphyini ; foramen posterius canalis carotici interni formed entirely by quadrate (in two of three specimens), as in Labrostochelys , but in contrast to all other pleurodires.

DISCUSSION: This genus, now known from three skulls, one with a plastron, is one of the more unusual pleurodires. Ummulisani has hornlike processes on the prefrontals, and these probably were covered by a hornlike scale that would have been larger than the underlying bony process in life, as in the squamosal horns of meiolaniids. The phylogenetic analysis of Gaffney et al. (2006a) resolves Ummulisani as the sister taxon to Phosphatochelys .

Ummulisani rutgersensis Gaffney, Tong, and Meylan, 2006

TYPE SPECIMEN: AMNH 30563 View Materials , skull, lacking palate ( figs. 1–3 View Fig View Fig View Fig ; Gaffney et al., 2006a: figs. 206, 207), purchased from Adam Aaronson .

TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Mrah Iaresh , 20 km south east of Ouled Boali’ ’ (from Adam Aaronson), Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco (Gaffney et al., 2006a: figs. 14–16) .

HORIZON: ‘‘Eocene Phosphates, Upper Ypresian, Couche O’’ (from Adam Aaronson); see Gaffney et al. (2006a: 73–76, fig. 17, for discussion and references to Moroccan phosphates).

DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT: Near-shore marine (see Gaffney et al., 2006a: 73–76).

DIAGNOSIS: As for genus.

ETYMOLOGY: For Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, in gratitude to the faculty of the Department of Geology, Rutgers College, New Brunswick, who from 1961 to 1965 provided the senior author with inspiration, encouragement, and friendship, as well as with an education.

REFERRED MATERIAL: AMNH 30562, skull and plastron ( figs. 7 View Fig , 8 View Fig ; plastron figured in Gaffney et al., 2006a: figs. 268, 269), Couch 0, late Ypresian phosphates (based on shark teeth; Cappetta, personal commun.), Mrah Iahresh, 20 km southeast of Ouled Boali, Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco; AMNH 30569 ( figs. 4–6 View Fig View Fig View Fig ), skull, Ypresian phosphates (based on shark teeth; Cappetta, personal commun.), Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco.

PREVIOUS WORK: This taxon was first described by Gaffney et al. (2006a), which is the only literature on the taxon to date.

DISCUSSION: See Conclusions below.