Brontochelys

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 gaffneyi Wood, 1970

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]

References

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.

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[1] Wood, R.C. 1970. A review of the fossil Pelomedusidae (Testudines, Pleurodira) of Asia. Breviora 357: 1–24

[2] 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.