| Chedighaii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Pleurodira |
| Family: | †Bothremydidae |
| Subfamily: | †Bothremydinae |
| Tribe: | †Bothremydini |
| Subtribe: | †Bothremydina Gaffneyet al., 2006 |
| Genus: | †Chedighaii Gaffneyet al.,2006 |
| Type species | |
| Chedighaii hutchisoni Gaffneyet al., 2006 | |
| Other species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Chedighaii is an extinct genus of marinebothremydidside-necked turtle that inhabited eastern and south-central North America during theCampanian stage of theLate Cretaceous. It is known from two speciesC. hutchisoni andC. barberi. The genus name is derived fromch’ééh digháhii, theNavajo word for turtle.[1]
The type species,C. hutchisoni was named in 2006 by Gaffneyet al. for a specimen, KUVP 14765, consisting only of askull. The specimen was found in theSan Juan Basin ofNew Mexico, USA in theHunter Wash Member of theKirtland Formation. The formation is one of many formations that are from theKirtlandian land-vertebrate age, and dates to 74.0 million years ago. Theholotype skull is nearly complete. No skeleton or carapace is known, but the material of "Naiadochelys"ingravata might be assignable toC. hutchisoni.[2] Other remains ofC. hutchinsoni are known from theCerro del Pueblo Formation ofCoahuila, Mexico and theTar Heel Formation ofNorth Carolina.[3]
The other species,C. barberi, was initially classified inPodocnemis and thenBothremys, and had a more easterly distribution along the coastal margins ofAppalachia. Remains are known from theBrownstone Marl ofArkansas, theBlufftown Formation ofAlabama and westernGeorgia, the Tar Heel Formation of North Carolina, and theMarshalltown Formation ofNew Jersey.[3]