A spotted turtle (Testudines, Emydidae) from the early Pleistocene (late Blancan) of north-central Florida
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58782/flmnh.hhcn6232Keywords:
Emydidae, Emydinae, Clemmys, Florida, Pleistocene, Blancan Land Mammal Age, Inglis 1C, paleodistributionAbstract
The oldest fossils of the genus Clemmys (spotted turtles) are described from the early Pleistocene (latest Blancan NALMA, ~1.9–1.6 Ma) Inglis 1C locality in Citrus County, Florida. Clemmys hutchensorum n. sp. is morphologically most similar to the extant spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata, and is likely the sister taxon of C. guttata. The epi- and xiphiplastra exhibit subtle features that likewise resemble Glyptemys (bog and wood turtles), which is notable given that some molecular-based phylogenetic hypotheses place C. guttata as the sister taxon to Terrapene or Actinemys, rather than Glyptemys. The provenience of the new fossils and previously described fossils of C. guttata from the late Pleistocene of South Carolina, suggest that the genus Clemmys originated in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States.
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