Carettochelyidae

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, with the family being widely distributed across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa during much of the Cenozoic.

Carettochelyidae Temporal range: Paleocene–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

Taxonomy

After Joyce, 2014^[1] unless otherwise noted.

• Stem group taxa (also known as Pan-Carettochelys Joyce, Parham and Gauthier 2004)
• 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-Carretochelyids 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.^[1]
• Carettochelyidae Gill, 1889
  • 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^[2] 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.^[1]
  • 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^[3] 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^[4]
    • Indeterminate carettochelyids are also known from the uppermost Miocene to lowermost Pliocene of Victoria, Australia,^[5] As well as the Upper Miocene of New Guinea.^[6]