Eileanchelys
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Eileanchelys Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 164 Ma |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Testudinata |
| Genus: |
†Eileanchelys Anquetin et al., 2009 |
| Type species | |
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Eileanchelys waldmani Anquetin et al., 2009 |
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Eileanchelys is an extinct genus of primitive turtle from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) period some 164 million years ago of Britain. Only one species is recorded, Eileanchelys waldmani. It is the best-represented turtle from the Middle Jurassic, because of the amount of specimens that can be assigned to it. The turtle is also one of the oldest turtles ever found to be aquatic, and might represent a milestone in turtle evolution.
In 2009, two specimens from the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, including NMS G 2004.31.15 and NMS G 2004.31.16a–f, were found to differ from other turtles from the area and age. It was decided that they represented a new genus and species, and were named Eileanchelys waldmani by Jérémy Anquetin and his colleagues. The specimen NMS G 2004.31.15 was designated as the holotype, and NMS G 2004.31.16a-f, the paratypes. NMS G 2004.31.16 includes at least five, and possibly six, different individuals, all in one block. The holotype of Eileanchelys is a partial skull. Both blocks were found in Cladach a'Ghlinne, Scotland.
Eileanchelys waldmani was named and described by Anquetin et al. in 2009. The generic name, eilean, comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for island, and chelys, from the Greek word for turtle. The species was named in honour of Dr. Michael Waldman, co-discoverer of the Cladach a'Ghlinne locality (together with the late R. J. G. Savage).
Eileanchelys is a small turtle, with an approximate carapace length of 250 to 300 millimetres (9.8 to 11.8 in). The preserved carapaces of Eileanchelys are all slightly crushed, but show that they were lightly domed in real life. Therefore, the morphology of its shell was similar to Kayentachelys. There is a fused connection of the carapace and plastron in Eileanchelys. The connection is not found in Heckerochelys, but is in Kayentachelys.
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