Proterochersis, Fraas, 1913

GAFFNEY, EUGENE S, TONG, HAIYAN & MEYLAN, PETER A, 2006, EVOLUTION OF THE SIDE-NECKED TURTLES: THE FAMILIES BOTHREMYDIDAE, EURAXEMYDIDAE, AND ARARIPEMYDIDAE, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 300 (300), pp. 1-698 : 571

Proterochersis

This genus is described by Fraas (1913), with additions and a new shell reconstruction in Gaffney (1990). Although only known from the shell, the 20 or so specimens representing this species provide important information on the earliest pleurodires.

Karl and Tichy (2000) have named a new taxon, ‘‘ Murrhardtia staeschei ’’, from the Late Triassic of Germany. This taxon is a junior synonym of Proterochersis robusta Fraas, 1913 . Karl and Tichy mistakenly used Fraas’ reconstruction of the type, SMNS 12777 ( Fraas, 1913: figs. 1, 2), as a figure of the actual type specimen for comparison, and they named a more complete specimen of Proterochersis robusta (unnumbered shell in the Carl Schweizer Museum, Murhardt, Germany) as a new taxon. SMNS 12777 has only the internal mold of the carapace, plus a partial plastron, while the Karl and Tichy shell is nearly complete. However, two of us (E.S.G., P.A.M.) have studied these specimens, as well as nearly two dozen other Proterochersis shells, and have concluded that they belong to a single species. The areas of overlap of the Proterochersis robusta type specimen and the type specimen of ‘‘ Murrhardtia staeschei ’’ are nearly identical.