''Palaeoamyda'' is an
extinct genus of
softshell turtle
The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles. The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can a ...
belonging to the family
Trionychidae
The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles. The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can a ...
. Remains have been found in the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...
of Germany.
Taxonomy
Karl (1998) considered ''Palaeoamyda'' a synonym of ''
Rafetoides austriacus'' (Peters, 1858), but subsequent re-description of the material showed that it was a distinct genus in its own right.
[Cadena E. (2016) Palaeoamyda messeliana nov. comb. (Testudines, Pan-Trionychidae) from the Eocene Messel Pit and Geiseltal localities, Germany, taxonomic and phylogenetic insights. PeerJ 4:e2647 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2647]
Description
''Palaeoamyda'' is a three-clawed soft-shell turtle that can reach a length of about two feet. It is the largest species of turtles of
Messel Pit Fossil Site. The carapace and plastron are not connected by bony prominences and the plastron shows bony plates reduced to small protrusions.
References
* H.-V. Karl - Zur Taxonomie der känozoischen Weichschildkröten Österreichs und Deutschlands (Trionychidae: Trionychinae).- Mitt. Geol. Und Paläont. Landesmuseum Joanneum, 56: 273- 328; Graz (1998).
* M. Morlo, S. Schaal, G. Mayr, C. Seiffert
Annotated taxonomic list of the Middle Eocene Vertebrata of Messel (2004) * Colin Tudge
Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor* Hans-Volker Kar
Jurnal Article
{{Trionychidae
Fossils of Germany
Eocene turtles
Extinct turtles