Psephophorus

Psephophorus
Temporal range: Oligocene-Pliocene
Skull (LACM 162552) of P. sp. at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Chelonioidea
Family: Dermochelyidae
Genus: †Psephophorus
von Meyer, 1847
Type species
†P. polygonus
Species
  • †P. polygonus
  • †P. calvertensis
  • †P. eocaenus
  • †P. oregonesis
  • †P. californiensis
  • †P. terrypratchetti
  • †P. rupeliensis
  • †P. scaldii

Psephophorus is an extinct genus of sea turtle that lived from the Oligocene to the Pliocene. Its remains have been found in Europe, Africa, North America, and New Zealand.[1] It was first named by Hermann von Meyer in 1847, and contains seven species, P. polygonus, P. calvertensis, P. eocaenus, P. oregonesis,[2] P. californiensis,[3] P. rupeliensis,[4] P. scaldii,[4] and a species discovered in 1995,[1][5] P. terrypratchetti.

Psephophorus is the only Miocene dermochelyid turtle found in Europe.[6] One species of Psephophorus could measure up to ten feet in length.[7]

  1. ^ a b Kohler, R. (September 1995). "A new species of the fossil turtle Psephophorus (Order Testudines) from the Eocene of the South Island, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 25 (3): 371–384. doi:10.1080/03014223.1995.9517495. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021.
  2. ^ "The Oregon Fossil Guy". www.mailtribune.com. 2008-04-27. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  3. ^ "Sharktooth Hill Fauna, circa 2003". Shark Tooth Hill.com (optionally viewed as a Microsoft Word document). 2003. Archived from the original on 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  4. ^ a b Proceedings; page 8. By the Zoological Society of London; published 1891. Retrieved on June 28th, 2008.
  5. ^ "New Zealand species of Psephophorus". Everything2.com (partially derived from an interview with Terry Pratchett on The Discworld Companion). 2001-11-01. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  6. ^ "New Remains of Psephophorus polygonus (Chelonii: Dermochelyidae) from the Miocene of Southern Italy" (PDF). digilander.libero.it. 2004. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  7. ^ Henry Alleyne Nicholson; Richard Lydekker (1889). A Manual of Palaeontology. p. 1091.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)