Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum No. 4
On a new fossil Trionyx from the Pliocene Agé Group, Mie Prefecture, West Japan
- BMFM04-009Okazaki&Yoshida, 1977（PDF 3.37MB）
Okazaki & Yoshida (1977) print-version
Published: 1977/12/25 Page: 87–95, pls. 21–22
A fossil skull of a soft-shelled turtle have been obtained from the Agé Group, at the Ano River, Mie Prefecture, West Japan. Compared with the living species of Japan, the fossil skull is distinguished by its wider aspect of the dorsal view. Difference is also seen at the suture around basisphenoid bone in the ventral view. We propose a new species, Trionyx miensis, based upon the skull. It is the first occurrence of the fossil turtles from the Japanese Pliocene. In the systematics, other materials are described to consider Japanese history of the trionycbid turtles.