Brontochelys is an extinct genus of podocnemidid from the Miocene of Pakistan. The only species known, B. gaffneyi was classified before in the genus Shweboemys, which is known from the Pliocene of Burma.[1] Brontochelys is represented only by its type specimen BMNH R.8570, a nearly complete skull, which exact locality is unknown but probably comes from the Lower Miocene sediments in the Bugti Hills, in Baluchistan, Pakistan. This skull is different from its relatives like Shweboemys, Lemurchelys and Stereogenys by its large, forward-faced orbits, a large frontal bone that composes most of the dorsal orbit margin and a palatal curved. The name of Brontochelys is formed by the Greek words bronte, "thunder" and chelys, "turtle", in reference to the large size of the skull.[2]
| Brontochelys Temporal range: Lower Miocene
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Pleurodira |
| Family: | Podocnemididae |
| Genus: | †Brontochelys Gaffney, Meylan, Wood, Simons & Campos, 2011 |
| Species: | †B. gaffneyi
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| Binomial name | |
| †Brontochelys gaffneyi Wood, 1970
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| Synonyms | |
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Shweboemys gaffneyi Wood, 1970 | |
References
edit- ^ Wood, R.C. 1970. A review of the fossil Pelomedusidae (Testudines, Pleurodira) of Asia. Breviora 357: 1–24
- ^ Gaffney, E.S.; Meylan, P.A.; Wood, R.C.; Simons, E.L.; Campos, D.A. 2011. Evolution of the side-necked turtles: the family Podocnemididae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 350: 1–237.