Fossil turtles from the early Miocene localities of Mokrá-Quarry (Burdigalian, MN4), South Moravian Region, Czech Republic

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Authors	HERNÁNDEZ LUJÁN Ángel ČERŇANSKÝ Andrej BONILLA-SALOMÓN Isaac BŘEZINA Jakub IVANOV Martin
Year of publication	2021
Type	Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source	Geodiversitas
MU Faculty or unit	Faculty of Science
Citation
Web	https://bioone.org/journals/geodiversitas/volume-43/issue-20/geodiversitas2021v43a20/Fossil-turtles-from-the-early-Miocene-localities-of-Mokr%C3%A1-Quarry/10.5252/geodiversitas2021v43a20.short
Doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/geodiversitas2021v43a20
Keywords	Early Miocene; Burdigalian; Ptychogaster; Testudo kalksburgensis; Chersine; Czech Republic; Central Paratethys; Carpathian Foredeep Basin
Description	Fossil turtles from Mokra-Quarry, South Moravia Region, Czech Republic, are described in this paper. Remains come from two already known karstic fissures uncovered in Mokra-Western Quarry (1/2001 Turtle Joint and 2/2003 Reptile Joint), as well as three new karstic fissures from Mokra-Western Quarry (TC/2001 and 4/2018) and Mokra-Central Quarry (3/2005). All localities correspond to the early Miocene (Burdigalian: late Eggenburgian-Ottnangian MN4). The newly described material belongs to several turtle individuals, including over 100 shell elements, so the material studied here constitutes one of the largest samples in regards of the Czech Republic fossil record. Most of these remains have been identified as Ptychogaster (Ptychogaster) sp. and Testudo (Chersine) cf. kalksburgensis Toula, 1896. However, three specimens presented here (i.e., one shell fragment and two postcranial bones) have been identified as a large tortoise (Testudinidae indet.). Turtle fauna is congruent with two ecological environments, including a dry karst landscape with open to dense steppe vegetation inferred for the heliophile testudinids, as well as freshwater masses to the semi-terrestrial ptychogasterid. Finally, this paper expands our knowledge of fossil turtle assemblages in Central Europe during the early Miocene.
Related projects:	Postdoc@MUNI Analýza sedimentárních pánví