A new pan-kinosternid, Leiochelys tokaryki, gen. et sp. nov., from the late Maastrichtian Frenchman formation, Saskatchewan Canada

Previously, only a single member of Pan-Kinosternidae (Yelmochelys rosarioae) had been documented from the Late Cretaceous epoch. In this report we describe a new pan-kinosternid genus and species, herein named Leiochelys tokaryki, based on a nearly complete, articulated skeleton from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Frenchman Formation of Saskatchewan, Canada. L. tokaryki differs most notably from the previously described Y. rosarioae in having triangular plastral lobes, and in that the suture between the hyo- and hypoplastron is in line with the suture between the fifth and sixth peripherals. A maximum parsimony analysis suggests that L. tokaryki is intermediate between Y. rosarioae and crown-group kinosternids. Kinosternid features present in L. tokaryki include the presence of a reduced plastral bridge that extends from the posterior tip of peripheral 4 to the anterior tip of peripheral 7, two inframarginals that contact one another, a smooth triturating surface, and participation of the palatine in the triturating surface. An unexpected feature of the skull is the presence of a large stapedial canal, suggesting that the decrease in size of the stapedial canal and increase in the canalis caroticus cerebralis occurred independently in Dermatemydidae and Kinosternidae. The character-states of the skull and skeleton of L. tokaryki indicate that morphological changes occurring during the diversification of Kinosternoidea were more complex than expected based on data from derived members of the group.

Automated summary

In this report, a new pan-kinosternid genus and species, Leiochelys tokaryki, is described based on a nearly complete skeleton from the Late Cretaceous epoch. L. tokaryki differs from the previously described Y. rosarioae in several characteristics. Analysis suggests that L. tokaryki is intermediate between Y. rosarioae and crown-group kinosternids. The skull of L. tokaryki exhibits unexpected features, such as a large stapedial canal. The morphological changes observed in L. tokaryki indicate a more complex diversification of Kinosternoidea than previously thought.