Prionochelys

Prionochelys; Temporal range: Santonian–Campanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Partial carapace, McWane Science Center
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Chelonioidea
Family:	† Ctenochelyidae
Genus:	† Prionochelys
Species:	†P. matutina
Binomial name
	†Prionochelys matutina; Zangerl, 1953

Last updated June 02, 2025

Prionochelys is an extinct genus of pancheloniid from the Mooreville Chalk and Eutaw Formations of Alabama. It consists of a single species, P. matutina.^[1]

Taxonomy

Prionochelys was originally assigned to the family Toxochelyidae.^[1] A 2018 paper found it to be on the stem of Chelonioidea, the family to which most modern sea turtles belong, forming a monophyletic grouping named as Ctenochelyidae with Ctenochelys and Peritresius .^[2] Below is a cladogram from the analysis by Gentry, Ebersole & Kiernan (2019):^[3]

Pan-Chelonioidea

†Angolachelonia

†Protostegidae

† Toxochelys latiremis

Chelonioidea

†Ctenochelyidae

† Asmodochelys parhami

	†Prionochelys matutina

	† Ctenochelys acris

	† Ctenochelys stenoporus

	† Peritresius ornatus

	† Peritresius martini

References

1 2 R, Zangerl (1953). "The vertebrate fauna of the Selma Formation of Alabama. Part 3. The turtles of the family Protostegidae. Part 4. The turtles of the family Toxochelyidae". Fieldiana Geology Memoirs. 3: 61–277.
↑ Gentry, Andrew D. (2018-11-01). "Prionochelys matutina Zangerl, 1953 (Testudines: Pan-Cheloniidae) from the Late Cretaceous of the United States and the evolution of epithecal ossifications in marine turtles". PeerJ. 6: e5876. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5876 . ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6215699 . PMID 30402356.
↑ Gentry, A.D.; Ebersole, J.A.; Kiernan, C.R. (2019). "Asmodochelys parhami, a new fossil marine turtle from the Campanian Demopolis Chalk and the stratigraphic congruence of competing marine turtle phylogenies". Royal Society Open Science. 6 (12): Article ID 191950. Bibcode:2019RSOS....691950G. doi:10.1098/rsos.191950. PMC 6936288 . PMID 31903219.

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[:0-1] 1 2 R, Zangerl (1953). "The vertebrate fauna of the Selma Formation of Alabama. Part 3. The turtles of the family Protostegidae. Part 4. The turtles of the family Toxochelyidae". Fieldiana Geology Memoirs. 3: 61–277.

[2] Gentry, Andrew D. (2018-11-01). "Prionochelys matutina Zangerl, 1953 (Testudines: Pan-Cheloniidae) from the Late Cretaceous of the United States and the evolution of epithecal ossifications in marine turtles". PeerJ. 6: e5876. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5876 . ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6215699 . PMID 30402356.

[Gentry2019-3] Gentry, A.D.; Ebersole, J.A.; Kiernan, C.R. (2019). "Asmodochelys parhami, a new fossil marine turtle from the Campanian Demopolis Chalk and the stratigraphic congruence of competing marine turtle phylogenies". Royal Society Open Science. 6 (12): Article ID 191950. Bibcode:2019RSOS....691950G. doi:10.1098/rsos.191950. PMC 6936288 . PMID 31903219.

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