New data on the Mesozoic radiation of chelonioids

"Turtles" (Testudines) form a successful group of reptiles with several terrestrial, marine and fresh-water species. Their peculiar and somewhat constrained morphology (i. e. : carapace incorporating ribs, curved limbs, anapsid skull exempt of temporal fenestrae) and ecology has often obscured their relationships and, hence, their evolutionary history, notably in marine turtles (chelonioids). Modern chelonioids are divided in two clades (i. e. : shoft-shelled turtles and hard-shelled turtles) supported by distinct morphological and embryological characters. Their origin is traced back up to the Cretaceous, along with a series of extinct forms, many of which being collectively known as Protostegidae. Fossil evidence show that at least five clades of marine turtles were roaming the seas at the end of the Cretaceous. In fact, chelonioids appeared during the first stages of the Early Cretaceous and quickly exploded to reach a high level of disparity at the lowermost part of the late Cretaceous. Therefore, the Mesozoic radiation of chelonioids must have happened during the "middle" Cretaceous (especially the Aptian-Albian interval). However this radiation is poorly understood as the phylogenetic relationships of marine turtles are not resolved yet. Bringing new data may help resolve these issues, and it is the exact reason why the genus Rhinochelys is being investigated.