Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 31() 1988
The early records of fossil turtles from China
Abstract:
In the present paper, the early records of fossil turtles known from China are presented, among which the material from the Lower Lufeng Series of Lufeng, Yunnan, southwest China, is the earliest, i. e. of a geological age corresponding to the Lias or Rhaetian. Successively, of the middle Jurassic, we have not only the genera Chengyuchelys from Sichuan and Xinjiangchelys from north Xijiang, but probably also the partly complete shell from Chenxi, Hunan, and the fragments from Baicheng, south Xinjiang and Xining, Qinghai, etc. These facts indicate that turtles had a wide geographical distribution in China even at early evolutionary stages. Furthermore, in the successive periods, i. e. from the late Jurassic to Quaternary, we have the most complete fossil record of turtles in series. It seems reasonable to suggest that China is indeed the important area in inquiring for the origin of turtles and in studying the early evolution of this animal group.
