Carettochelyidae

Carettochelyidae Temporal range: Aptian–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta)
Fossil of Allaeochelys crassesculptata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Trionychia
Family:	Carettochelyidae Gill, 1889
Genera
See text

Carettochelyidae is a family of cryptodiran turtles belonging to the Trionychia. It contains only a single living species, the pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) native to New Guinea and Northern Australia. Stem-group carettochelyids are known from the Cretaceous of Asia, ^[1] with the family being widely distributed across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa during much of the Cenozoic. ^[2]

Taxonomy

After Joyce, 2014 ^[2] unless otherwise noted.

• Carettochelyidae sensu Kim et al. 2025 ^[1] (also known Pan-Carettochelys Joyce, Parham and Gauthier 2004) ^[2]
  • Byeoljubuchelys Kim et al., 2025
    • Byeoljubuchelys yeosuensis Kim et al., 2025 ^[1] Hasandong Formation, South Korea, Early Cretaceous (Aptian)
  • Kizylkumemys Nessov, 1976
    • Kizylkumemys khoratensis Tong et al., 2005 Khok Kruat Formation, Thailand, Early Cretaceous (Aptian)
    • Kizylkumemys schultzi Nessov, 1976 Khodzhakul Formation, Uzbekistan, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)
  • Indeterminate fragments of stem-carettochelyids are also known from the Cenomanian aged Bayan Shireh Formation, Mongolia, which were originally assigned to "Anosteira" shuwalovi Chkhikvadze in Shuvalov and Chkhikvadze, 1979, which Joyce 2014 regarded as a nomen dubium . ^[2]
  • Carettochelyidae Gill, 1889 sensu Joyce 2014. ^[2]
    • Anosteira Leidy, 1871
      • Anosteira manchuriana Zangerl, 1947 Liaoning, China, late Eocene
      • Anosteira maomingensis Chow and Liu, 1955 Youkanwo Formation, Guangdong, China, Late Eocene
      • Anosteira mongoliensis Gilmore, 1931 Inner Mongolia, China, Late Eocene-Oligocene
      • Anosteira ornata Leidy, 1871 Bridger Formation, Wyoming, USA, Early Eocene
      • Anosteira pulchra (Clark, 1932) Uinta Formation, Utah, USA, Middle Eocene (Lutetian)
    • Chorlakkichelys shahi De Broin, 1987 ^[3] from the Early Eocene (Lutetian) aged Kuldana Formation, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan was considered to be a nomem dubium and an indeterminate carettochelyid by Joyce, 2014, due to the fragmentary and heavily eroded nature of the specimens. ^[2]
    • Carettochelyinae Williams, 1950
      • Allaeochelys Noulet, 1867
        • Allaeochelys crassesculpta (Harrassowitz, 1922) Messel Pit, Germany, Early Eocene
        • Allaeochelys delheidi (Dollo, 1886) Brussels Formation, Belgium, Zamora, Spain, Early Eocene Headon Hill Formation, England, Late Eocene (Priabonian)
        • Allaeochelys libyca Havlik et al, 2014, Al Wahat District, Libya, middle Miocene (Langhian)
        • Allaeochelys lingnanica (Young and Chow, 1962) Shaoguan, Guangdong, China early Paleogene (possibly Paleocene)
        • Allaeochelys magnifica (=Burmemys magnifica Hutchison et al., 2004) Pandaung Formation, Myanmar, Late Eocene (Bartonian)
        • Allaeochelys parayrei Noulet, 1867 Tarn, Toulouse, France, Late Eocene (Bartonian)
        • Allaeochelys liliae Carbot-Chanona et al. 2020 ^[4] Mazantic Shale, Chiapas, Mexico, Early Miocene (Aquitanian)
      • Carettochelys Ramsay, 1886
        • Carettochelys insculpta Ramsay, 1886 Northern Australia, New Guinea, Recent
        • Carettochelys niahensis White et al. 2023 Borneo, Neogene ^[5]
      • Indeterminate carettochelyids are also known from the uppermost Miocene to lowermost Pliocene of Victoria, Australia, ^[6] As well as the Upper Miocene of New Guinea. ^[7]

Cladogram after Kim et al. 2025. ^[1]

Carettochelyidae

† Byeoljubuchelys yeosuensis † Kizylkumemys khoratensis † Kizylkumemys schultzi † Anosteira Anosteira pulchra Anosteira ornata Anosteira manchuriana Anosteira maomingensis Anosteira mongoliensis † Allaeochelys  +  Carettochelys †Allaeochelys lingnanica †Allaeochelys delheidi †Allaeochelys crassesculpta †Allaeochelys magnifica †Allaeochelys parayrei †Allaeochelys liliae †Allaeochelys libyca Carettochelys insculpta (pig-nosed turtle)

References

1. Kim, Minguk; Jung, Jongyun; Joyce, Walter G.; Park, Jae-Il; Jung, Hye-Yeon; Jo, Hyemin; Huh, Min (December 2025). "A new, Early Cretaceous carettochelyid turtle from South Korea provides insights into softshell evolution and aquatic ecology". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 144 (1) 75. doi: 10.1186/s13358-025-00415-z .
2. Joyce, Walter G. (April 2014). "A Review of the Fossil Record of Turtles of the Clade Pan-Carettochelys" . Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 55 (1): 3–33. Bibcode:2014BPMNH..55....3J. doi:10.3374/014.055.0102. ISSN   0079-032X. S2CID   59382889.
3. Gayet, M.; De Broin, F.; Rage, J.C. (1987). "Lower Vertebrates from the Early-Middle Eocene Kuldana Formation of Kohat (Pakistan): Holostei and Teleostei, Chelonia, and Squamata" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology. 27 (7): 151–193.
4. Carbot-Chanona, Gerardo; Rivera-Velázquez, Gustavo; Jiménez-Hidalgo, Eduardo; Reynoso, Víctor Hugo (December 2020). "The first Pan-Carettochelys turtle in the Neogene of the American continent and its paleobiogeographical relevance" . Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 104 102925. Bibcode:2020JSAES.10402925C. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102925. S2CID   224976641.
5. White, Arthur W.; Archer, Michael; Hand, Suzanne J.; Godthelp, Henk; Gillespie, Anna K. (2023-10-02). "A new broad-snouted fossil carettochelyid turtle from a previously unknown Caenozoic deposit in Sarawak, Malaysia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 47 (4): 614–623. Bibcode:2023Alch...47..614W. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2023.2243503 . ISSN   0311-5518.
6. Rule, James P.; Kool, Lesley; Parker, William M.G.; Fitzgerald, Erich M.G. (2021-12-07). Mannion, Philip (ed.). "Turtles all the way down: Neogene pig-nosed turtle fossil from southern Australia reveals cryptic freshwater turtle invasions and extinctions". Papers in Palaeontology. 8 spp2.1414. doi:10.1002/spp2.1414. ISSN   2056-2799. S2CID   245107305.
7. Glaessner, Martin F. (1942-07-08). "The occurrence of the New Guinea Turtle (Carettochelys) in the Miocene of Papua". Records of the Australian Museum. 21 (2): 106–109. doi: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.21.1942.262 . ISSN   0067-1975.