Name: Euclastes.
Phonetic: Yew-clas-teez.
Named By: Edward Drinker Cope - 1867.
Synonyms: Glossochelys, Pampaemys
meriodionalis.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Testudines,
Cryptodira, Chelonioidea.
Species: E. acutirostris, E.
gosseleti, E. meriodionalis, E. platyops, E. wielandi.
Diet: Durophagous (eater of shelled organisms).
Size: Unavailable.
Known locations: Angola. Argentina - Jag�el
Formation, Roca Formation. Chile - Quiriquina Formation.
Morocco. USA, California - Moreno Formation, Maryland -
Aquia Formation.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous to the
Thanetian of the Paleocene.
Fossil representation: Several individuals,
usually of skull remains.
Euclastes is a genus of marine cryptodiran turtle that lived from the late cretaceous to the early Paleocene. Euclastes is noted for having a partial secondary palate, and a mouth suited for crushing the shells of armoured animals such as crustaceans and shelled molluscs. A former species, E. hutchisoni, has now been reassigned to Pacifichelys, while another species, E. coahuilaensis, has now been moved to Mexichelys.
Further reading
- Un nuevo osteopigino (Chelonii: Cryptodira) de la Formaci�n
Roca (Paleoceno inferior) de Cerros Bayos, provincia de La
Pampa, Argentina. - Ameghiniana 37(2):235-246. - M.
de la Fuente & S. Casadio - 2000.
- Euclastes acutirostris, a new species of
littoral turtle
(Cryptodira, Cheloniidae) from the Palaeocene phosphates of
Morocco (Oulad Abdoun Basin, Danian-Thanetian) [Euclastes
acutirostris, une nouvelle esp�ce de tortue littorale
(Cryptodira,
Cheloniidae) des phosphates pal�oc�nes du Maroc (Bassin des Oulad
Abdoun, Danien-Than�tien)] - Nour-Eddine Jalila, France de
Lapparent de Broinb, Nathalie Bardetb, Renaud Vacantb, Ba�di
Bouyac, Mbarek Amaghzazc & Sa�d Meslouhd - 2009.