Neochelys

Neochelys (Greek for "new turtle") is an extinct genus of freshwater side-necked turtle that inhabited Europe during the Eocene. It was a diverse genus known throughout western and southern Europe from the Ypresian to the Priabonian.^[1]

Neochelys Temporal range: Early to Late Eocene[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
N. franzeni specimens at the Senckenberg Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Pleurodira
Family:	Podocnemididae
Subfamily:	Erymnochelyinae
Genus:	†Neochelys Bergounioux, 1954
Type species
†Emys capellinii de Zigno, 1890
Species
See text

Taxonomy

The following species are known:^[1][2]

• †N. arenarum de Broin, 1977 – early-mid Ypresian of France (Lignites de Soissonais)^[3]
• †N. capellinii (de Zigno, 1890) (type species) – latest Ypresian or earliest Lutetian of Italy (Monte Bolca) (=Emys capellinii)
• †N. eocaenica (de Stefano, 1902) – latest Ypresian or earliest Lutetian of France (Grès d'Aigne Formation)
• †N. franzeni Schleich, 1993 – early Lutetian of Germany (Messel Formation)^[4]
• †N. laurenti Tong, 1998 – mid-late Ypresian of France (Saint-Papoul Formation)^[5]
• †N. liriae Pérez-García & de Broin, 2013 – mid-late Ypresian of France (Grès d'Assignan Formation)
• †N. salmanticensis Jimenez, 1971 – Bartonian of Spain (=Podocnemis carbajosai)^[6]
• †N. zamorensis Jimenez-Fuentes, 1992 – late Lutetian of Spain (Entrala Formation)

Well-preserved specimens of N. franzeni are known from the Messel Formation

Indeterminate remains are known from the latest Eocene (Priabonian) of France and Spain; these have not been assigned to a specific species, but represent the youngest record of the genus.^[1] The species "N." fajumensis from the Oligocene of Egypt was briefly assigned to this genus, but is now thought to belong to its own genus, Shetwemys.^[7]

Morphological analyses suggest that Neochelys likely represents an ancient lineage of the Erymnochelyinae, sister to the clade composed of the South American Peltocephalus and the Malagasy Erymnochelys.^[4] The taxonomic relationships between the multiple Neochelys species remain largely unknown. It has been suggested that N. eocaenica, N. capellinii, and N. salmanticensis together form a species complex known as the "N. eocaenica complex", but this is uncertain.^[1]

Ecology

A pathological Neochelys shell is known from the middle Eocene of Spain, hosting abnormalities that were previously thought to be the result of a crocodile attack. However, more recent studies instead suggest that these may instead occurred from parasites or a bacterial/fungal infection.^[8]