Mesochelydia
Mesochelydia (from Greek "mesos" "middle" and "chelys" "turtle") is a clade within Pantestudines, more inclusive than Perichelydia, but less than Testudinata. The clade is known from the Early Jurassic to the Present, and contains all Jurassic representatives of Testudinata aside from "Australochelys." The ancestral condition for Mesochelydia is thought to be aquatic, as opposed to terrestrial for Testudinata. They are distinguished from more basal testudinatans by the presence of the following characters: strap like pectoral girdle, supramarginals absent, reduced posterior entoplastral process, eleven pairs of peripherals, elongate processus interfenestralis, paired basioccipital tubercles, fully formed cavum tympani and antrum postoticum, single vomer, confluent external nares, lacrimals and supratemporals absent.
Q9129
Greek
Concept
Q713623
clade
Concept
Q20220074
Pantestudines
Concept
Q64043742
Perichelydia
MISC
Q16114972
Testudinata
Concept
Q9162394
Australochelys
Concept
Q756066
pectoral girdle
Concept
Q1570144
cavum tympani
Concept
Q193527
vomer
Concept
Q858590
nares
Concept
Q212721
lacrimals
Concept
Q13147
supratemporal
Concept
Q68334453
Mesochelydia
MISC
Q68334453
Mesochelydia
MISC
instance of
parent taxon
instance of
instance of
parent taxon
instance of