DESCRIPTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF A RECENTLY DISCOVERED STEINKERN FRAGMENT OF A MARINE TURTLE FROM THE NORTH BOHEMIAN SAXON CRETACEOUS BASIN, CZECH REPUBLIC, (CENTRAL EUROPE)
HANS-VOLKER KARL *
Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophical Faculty, Chair for the Archaeology from Prehistoric to the Early Middle Ages with UFG Collection, Löbdergraben 24a, 07743 Jena, Germany.
AMTYAZ SAFI
Department of Zoology (Wildlife Section), University of Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.
JAROSLAV COUFAL
Příční 506, 798 17 Smržice, Czech Republic.
HERMANN KUTZNER
Schönborner Straße 1, 03253 Schönborn OT Lindena, Germany.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Here we discovered, identified and described a Steinkern fragment of a Marine turtle from the North Bohemian Saxon cretaceous basin, Czech Republic, Central Europe from the Upper cretaceous period. That Steinkern fragment of a proximal part of a left anterior phalanx IV1 of a large Upper Cretaceous marine turtle, which was discovered from the Stráž plateau northeast area of Smržice in Moravia (Czech Republic) in central Europe on 24th July, 2021. Further investigation and illustration are needed to find the correct species identification and Phylogeny of this Steinkern fragment. The exact species identification is not possible due to the limited fragment material, but placement of this fossil record to the genus Desmatochelys seems quite possible due to some morphological characteristics and paleogeographic background. This newly discovered material is closest to that of Desmatochelys carusianus on the basis of geographically and stratigraphically position. Without a fossil’s skull or any of the rest of the skeleton, we don’t really know much about this species.
Keywords: Saxon cretaceous basin, Desmatochelys, steinkern fragments, Czech Republic