Acleistochelys, Gaffney & Roberts & Sissoko & Bouaré & Tapanila & O'leary, 2007

Gaffney, Eugene S., Roberts, Eric, Sissoko, Famory, Bouaré, Mohamed L., Tapanila, Leif & O'leary, Maureen A., 2007, Acleistochelys, a New Side-Necked Turtle (Pelomedusoides: Bothremydidae) from the Paleocene of Mali, American Museum Novitates 3549 (1), pp. 1-24 : 4

Acleistochelys , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Acleistochelys maliensis , new species .

DISTRIBUTION: Paleocene of Mali.

ETYMOLOGY: Aklystos, Greek for ‘‘sheltered’’, or ‘‘hollowed’’, in allusion to the small, paired pits on the triturating surface; chelys, Greek for ‘‘turtle’’.

DIAGNOSIS: A bothremydid pleurodire with these unique characters among the tribe Taphrosphyini : small pit formed by jugal, maxilla, and palatine on triturating surface; jugal exposed on triturating surface; accessory ridge present on anterior triturating surface; wide palatine-basisphenoid contact separating pterygoids on midline; supraoccipital-quadrate contact present; basioccipital narrowly enters condylus occipitalis; palatine-jugal contact in small septum orbitotemporale. Other distinguishing characters are: skull relatively long and narrow; fossa pterygoideus deep and narrow as in Nigeremys but in contrast to Taphrosphys ; foramen posterius canalis carotici interni formed by pterygoid, basisphenoid, and quadrate in contrast to Phosphatochelys ; small remnant of septum orbitotemporale present consisting of ventral parietal process as in Phosphatochelys but in contrast to Taphrosphys .

DISCUSSION: See table 1 for a comparison of genera in the tribe Taphrosphyini .