CryptoderesDuméril and Bibron, 1834 CryptoderaLichtenstein, 1856 CryptodiraCope, 1868 CryptodiramorphaLee, 1995 PancryptodiraJoyce, Parham, and Gauthier, 2004
Skull of a cryptodiran turtle from the familyEmydidaeDorsal view ofskull andcervical vertebrae of a cryptodiran turtle from the familyEmydidae. Not all cervical vertebrae are featured due to the dissection cut.
TheCryptodira (Greek:hidden neck) are asuborder ofTestudines that includes most livingtortoises andturtles. Cryptodira is commonly called the "Hidden-Neck Turtles" or the "Inside-Neck Turtles". Cryptodira differ fromPleurodira (side-necked turtles) in that they lower their necks and pull the heads straight back into the shells, instead of folding their necks sideways along the body under the shells' marginals. They include among their speciesfreshwater turtles,snapping turtles,tortoises,softshell turtles, andsea turtles.
Testudo hermanni showing typical cryptodiran neck retraction, in which the head is retracted straight backwards into its shell.
The Cryptodira are characterized by retraction of the head in the vertical plane, which permits for primarily vertical movements and restricted lateral movements outside of the shell.[3] These motions are largely due to the morphology and arrangement ofcervical vertebrae. In all recent turtles, the cervical column consists of nine joints and eight vertebrae.[4] Compared to the narrow vertebrae and the closely positionedzygapophyses of the pleurodires, the cryptodires’ vertebrae take on the opposite shape. Their cervical vertebrae are more distended, and their zygapophyses (processes that interlock adjacent vertebrae) are much more widely spaced—features allowing for a condition calledginglymoidy, and ultimately, their “hidden” neck retraction. Ginglymoidy refers to the double articulation where articulation between the sixth and seventh vertebrae and the seventh and eighth vertebrae allows for bending of the neck into an S shape. Formation of this S shape occurs in one plane that enables retraction into the shell.[5]
A comparison of cryptodiran neck retraction compared toPleurodiran neck retraction.
Cryptodiran neck retraction is also dependent on associated cervical musculature for its characteristic motions. A study that focused solely on the mechanism of neck retraction inChelodina (pleurodire) versus that ofApalone (cryptodire), found an absence of thelongissimus andiliocostalis systems and reduced epaxial musculature.[4] Absence of longissimus musculature, which primarily functions in moving the neck via ipsilateral flexion and contralateral rotation, contributes to the backwards retraction of the neck into the shell. Lack of this muscular system also results in poorly developedtransverse processes (the lateral processes of a vertebra), forcing them to be developed in a more cranial direction. The iliocostalis system, used for lateral flexion and extension of the vertebral column, is commonly absent in all turtles. With the presence of a shell, these muscular movements are no longer possible. Epaxial musculature that functions in alternated forms of stepping and walking is minimized in turtles, due to their restricted stride lengths and heavily weighted shells.[citation needed]
Cryptodiresevolved from pleurodires during the earlyJurassic period, originating fromSouth America andSoutheast Asia.[6] By the end of the Jurassic, cryptodires had almost completely replaced pleurodires in the lakes and rivers, while beginning to develop land-based species. Meanwhile, pleurodires became the dominant freshwater testudines in theCretaceous toEocene ofEurope,[7] and produced a family of marine species, theBothremydidae.
The Cryptodira suborder has four livingsuperfamilies, theChelonioidea (sea turtles),Testudinoidea (tortoises and pond turtles),Kinosternoidea (Central American river turtle and mud turtles) andTrionychoidea (soft-shell turtles and relatives).Chelydridae (snapping turtles) form a sister group toKinosternoidea. The former three subfamilies (and Chelydridae) are classified in the cladeDurocryptodira, while the latter is classified in the cladeTrionychia. These two clades likely diverged in the middle of the Jurassic.[6][8]
Two circumscriptions of the Cryptodira are commonly found. One is used here; it includes a number of primitiveextinct lineages known only fromfossils, as well as the Eucryptodira. These are, in turn, made up from some verybasal groups, and the Centrocryptodira contain the prehistoric relatives of the living cryptodires, as well as the latter, which are collectively called Polycryptodira or Durocryptodira.
The alternate concept restricts the use of the term "Cryptodira" to thecrown clade (i.e. Polycryptodira). The Cryptodira as understood here are calledCryptodiramorpha in this view.A recent study placedPlesiochelyidae as anAngolachelonia and outsideTestudines, thus Cryptodira.[9]
As per the system used here, the Cryptodira can be classified as:[8][10]
^abWyneken, Jeanette; Bels, V. L. (Vincent L.); Godfrey, Matthew H., eds. (2008).Biology of Turtles. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.ISBN9780849333392.OCLC144570900.
Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Parham, James F. (2008-12-08)."Turtles of the World, 2008 Checklist"(PDF).Chelonian Research Monographs.5. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2012-04-23. Retrieved2012-05-22.