Rhinochelys

Rhinochelys is an extinct genus of sea turtles belonging to the family Protostegidae.

Rhinochelys Temporal range: Albian–Cenomanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil of Rhinochelys nammourensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	†Protostegidae
Genus:	†Rhinochelys Seeley, 1869
Species
See text

Fossil records

Fossils of Rhinochelys have been found in Late Albian to middle Cenomanian-age marine deposits of southern England, Lebanon, and France.^[1][2]

Species

Three species of Rhinochelys are recognized:^[1][3]

• Rhinochelys pulchriceps (Owen, 1851)
• Rhinochelys amaberti Moret, 1935
• Rhinochelys nammourensis Tong, Hirayama, Makhoul & Escuillie, 2006^[4]

Rhinochelys cantabrigiensis and R. elegans, both named by Richard Lydekker in 1889, are recovered by Scavezzoni and Fischer (2018) as closer to Desmatochelys than to Rhinochelys and possibly are not congeneric with Rhinochelys.^[1]

Bibliography

• Hirayama, R., 1997: Distribution and diversity of Cretaceous chelonioids. 225–243. in Callaway, J. M. & Nicholls, E. L., (eds.), 1997: Ancient marine reptiles. Academic Press, San Diego, London, Boston, New York, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, 1997, pp. xlvi - 501
• Moody, R. T. J., 1997: The paleogeography of marine and coastal turtles of the North Atlantic and Trans-Saharan regions. 259–278 in Callaway, J. M. & Nicholls, E. L., (eds.) 1997: Ancient Marine Reptiles. Academic Press, San Diego, London, Boston, New York, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, 1997, xlvi-501