''Rhothonemys'' is an extinct genus of

bothremydid Bothremydidae is an extinct family of side-necked turtles (Pleurodira) known from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic. They are closely related to Podocnemididae, and are amongst the most widely distributed pleurodire groups, with their fossils having be ...

pleurodiran The Pleurodira are one of the two living suborders of turtles, the other being the Cryptodira. The division between these two suborders represents a very deep evolutionary divide between two very different types of turtles. The physical differen ...

turtle that was discovered in the

Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period, geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million yea ...

of Morocco. The genus consists solely of type species ''R. brinkmani''. ''Rhothonemys'' was discovered in the

Ouled Abdoun The Oulad Abdoun Basin (also known as the Ouled Abdoun Basin or Khouribga Basin) is a phosphate sedimentary basin located in Morocco, near the city of Khouribga. It is the largest in Morocco, comprising 44% of Morocco's phosphate reserves, a ...

Basin of Morocco, in deposits dated to the

. It is known from a partial skull, lacking the palate and basicranium, and a lower jaw, stored in the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

.Fossilworks: Rhothonemys
/ref> The genus name is derived from the Greek word ῥώθων (rhothon) "nose" and alludes to the huge nasal opening. The species name ''R. brinkmani'' honors the paleontologist

Donald Brinkman Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

References

Prehistoric turtle genera Paleogene turtles Bothremydidae Paleogene reptiles of Africa Fossil taxa described in 2006 {{paleo-turtle-stub