# Compsemys

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Compsemys
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Compsemys.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compsemys
> Source revision: 1346756138
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Extinct genus of compsemyid turtle

Compsemys Temporal range: Santonian–Paleocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Clade: Pantestudines Clade: Testudinata Clade: †Paracryptodira Family: †Compsemydidae Genus: †Compsemys Leidy, 1856 Species C. victa Leidy, 1856 ?C. russelli (Pérez-García, 2012) Synonyms ?Berruchelus Pérez-García 2012

***Compsemys*** is an extinct genus of [Compsemyid](/source/Compsemydidae) [turtles](/source/Turtle) that lived in [North America](/source/North_America) and possibly [Europe](/source/Europe) during the [Late Cretaceous](/source/Late_Cretaceous) and [Paleocene](/source/Paleocene). The [type species](/source/Type_species) ***C. victa***, first described by [Joseph Leidy](/source/Joseph_Leidy) from the [Hell Creek Formation](/source/Hell_Creek_Formation) in [Montana](/source/Montana) in 1856,[1] and another probable species *C. russelli* (originally placed in the separate genus *[Berruchelus](/source/Berruchelus)*), described in 2012, from Paleocene deposits in [France](/source/France)*.*

## Description

*Compsemys* was a moderately sized turtle, up to 30 cm (12 in) long, with a [carapace](/source/Turtle_shell) covered with raised, flattened [tubercles](/source/Tubercle), which are not seen in any other turtle. This allows even small shell fragments to be identified as *Compsemys*.[2] The [skull](/source/Skull) resembles that of the [alligator turtle](/source/Alligator_snapping_turtle), with a sharply hooked beak; *Compsemys* must have been an aquatic [carnivore](/source/Carnivore).[2] The oldest known shell fragments identifiable as *Compsemys* are known from the [Santonian](/source/Santonian) stage of the Late Cretaceous in North America, while European remains are not known until the Paleocene. *Compsemys* is suggested to have dispersed into Europe during the early Paleocene via Greenland. The morphology of the skull suggests that *Compsemys* was a hypercarnivorous snapping turtle.[3]

## Classification

Its affinites have long been uncertain,[1] but it has recently been considered to be the most [basal](/source/Basal_(phylogenetics)) member of [Paracryptodira](/source/Paracryptodira), despite the clade first appearing in the Late Jurassic, and is sometimes included in its own family, [Compsemydidae](/source/Compsemydidae).[4][3] A revision in 2020 found Compsemydidae to be more expansive, also containing *[Riodevemys](/source/Riodevemys)* and *[Selenemys](/source/Selenemys)* from the Late Jurassic of Europe, and *[Peltochelys](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peltochelys&action=edit&redlink=1)* from the Early Cretaceous of Europe.[5]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bryant_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bryant_1-1) Laurie J. Bryant (1989). ["Systematic Paleontology"](https://books.google.com/books?id=YgpMDwkS6yIC&pg=PA41). *Non-dinosaurian lower vertebrates across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in northeastern Montana*. Volume 134 of University of California publications in geological sciences. [University of California Press](/source/University_of_California_Press). pp. 10–58. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-520-09735-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-520-09735-3).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jehle_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jehle_2-1) Martin Jehle (April 1, 2006). ["Turtles: Business as usual"](http://www.paleocene-mammals.de/turtles.htm). *Paleocene mammals of the world*. Retrieved October 10, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) Joyce, Walter G.; Anquetin, Jérémy (October 2019). ["A Review of the Fossil Record of Nonbaenid Turtles of the Clade Paracryptodira"](https://bioone.org/journals/Bulletin-of-the-Peabody-Museum-of-Natural-History/volume-60/issue-2/014.060.0204/A-Review-of-the-Fossil-Record-of-Nonbaenid-Turtles-of/10.3374/014.060.0204.full). *Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History*. **60** (2): 129–155. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2019BPMNH..60..129J](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019BPMNH..60..129J). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3374/014.060.0204](https://doi.org/10.3374%2F014.060.0204). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0079-032X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0079-032X). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [203780510](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:203780510).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** A. Pérez-García, R. Royo-Torres, and A. Cobos. 2015. A new European Late Jurassic pleurosternid (Testudines, Paracryptodira) and a new hypothesis of paracryptodiran phylogeny. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 13(4):351-369

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Joyce, Walter G.; Rollot, Yann (2020-05-14). ["An alternative interpretation of Peltochelys duchastelii as a paracryptodire"](https://fr.copernicus.org/articles/23/83/2020/). *Fossil Record*. **23** (1): 83–93. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2020FossR..23...83J](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020FossR..23...83J). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5194/fr-23-83-2020](https://doi.org/10.5194%2Ffr-23-83-2020). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2193-0066](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2193-0066).

v t e Pantestudines Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Clade: Diapsida Clade: Sauria Clade: Archelosauria Sauropsida see Sauropsida Pantestudines see below↓ Pantestudines Pantestudines Pantestudines †Eorhynchochelys †Eunotosaurus? †Odontochelys †Pappochelys Testudinata †Priscochelys? †Proganochelyidae Proganochelys Ypomonetikochelys †Proterochersidae Chinlechelys Cryptochersis Keuperotesta Proterochersis Thaichelys †Australochelyidae Australochelys Palaeochersis Waluchelys Mesochelydia †Condorchelys †Eileanchelys †Heckerochelys †Indochelys †Kayentachelys Perichelydia see below↓ Perichelydia Perichelydia †Kallokibotion †Spoochelys †Meiolaniformes Chubutemys Otwayemys Patagoniaemys Peligrochelys Trapalcochelys Meiolaniidae Gaffneylania Meiolania Ninjemys Niolamia Warkalania †Sichuanchelyidae Laurasichersis Mongolochelys Sichuanchelys †Helochelydridae Aragochersis Helochelydra Helochelys Naomichelys Solemys †Compsemydidae Berruchelus Calissounemys Compsemys Kallokibotion? Peltochelys Riodevemys? Selenemys? Tongemys †Paracryptodira Compsemydidae? Helochelydridae? Pleurosternidae Dinochelys Dorsetochelys Glyptops Pleurosternon Riodevemys? Selenemys? Toremys Uluops Baenidae Arundelemys Arvinachelys Baena Boremys Cedrobaena Chisternon Denazinemys Edowa Eubaena Gamerabaena Gehennachelys Goleremys Hayemys Lakotemys Neurankylus Palatobaena Peckemys Plesiobaena Protobaena Saxochelys Scabremys Stygiochelys Thescelus Trinitichelys †Xinjiangchelyidae Annemys Brodiechelys Camerochelys Chengyuchelys Jastmelchyi Kalasinemys Larachelus Phunoichelys Protoxinjiangchelys Shartegemys Siamochelys Tienfuchelys Undjulemys Xinjiangchelys Yanduchelys †"Sinemydidae" Dracochelys Jeholochelys Liaochelys Manchurochelys Ordosemys Sinemys Wuguia Xiaochelys Yumenemys †"Macrobaenidae" Anatolemys Appalachemys Asiachelys Aurorachelys Changmachelys Gallica Judithemys Kirgizemys Macrobaena Osteopygis Oxemys Yakemys †Other "eucryptodires" Bashuchelys Galvechelone Hongkongochelys Hoyasemys Tienfucheloides †Thalassochelydia Aplax Cyrtura Euryaspis Hispaniachelys Neusticemys Owadowia Pelobatochelys Thalassemys Protostegidae? "Eurysternidae" Achelonia Chelonides Eurysternum Hydropelta Idiochelys Palaeomedusa Parachelys "Plesiochelyidae" Craspedochelys Globochelus Hylaeochelys? Jurassichelon? Plesiochelys Portlandemys Tropidemys Sandownidae Angolachelys Brachyopsemys Leyvachelys Sandownia Solnhofia? Crown-Testudines see Testudines See also: Angolachelonia Ankylopoda Category

Taxon identifiers Compsemys Wikidata: Q5157068 EoL: 4519575 GBIF: 4818862 IRMNG: 1222736 Open Tree of Life: 4132453 Paleobiology Database: 37641

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Compsemys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compsemys) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compsemys?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.