| Brontochelys Temporal range:Lower Miocene | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Pleurodira |
| Family: | Podocnemididae |
| Genus: | †Brontochelys Gaffney, Meylan, Wood, Simons & Campos, 2011 |
| Species: | †B. gaffneyi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Brontochelys gaffneyi Wood, 1970 | |
| Synonyms | |
Shweboemys gaffneyiWood, 1970 | |
Brontochelys is anextinctgenus ofpodocnemidid from theMiocene ofPakistan. The only species known,B. gaffneyi was classified before in the genusShweboemys, which is known from thePliocene ofBurma.[1]Brontochelys is represented only by itstype specimen BMNH R.8570, a nearly complete skull, which exact locality is unknown but probably comes from the Lower Miocene sediments in theBugti Hills, inBaluchistan, Pakistan. This skull is different from its relatives likeShweboemys,Lemurchelys andStereogenys by its large, forward-faced orbits, a large frontal bone that composes most of the dorsal orbit margin and a palatal curved. The name ofBrontochelys is formed by the Greek wordsbronte, "thunder" andchelys, "turtle", in reference to the large size of the skull.[2]