Dortokidae Explained

Dortokidae is an extinct family of freshwater pan-pleurodiran turtles, known from the Cretaceous and Paleocene of Europe. Only four species have been named, but indeterminate fossils show that they were abundant across western and eastern-central Europe during the Cretaceous. The family is only known from postcranial remains.^[1]

Genera

Eodortoka Pérez-García, Gasulla, and Ortega 2014^[2] Wessex Formation, United Kingdom Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian)^[3] Arcillas de Morella Formation, Spain, Early Cretaceous (Aptian)
Dortoka Lapparent de Broin and Murelaga, 1999 Laño site, Spain, (probably also present in southern France) Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) Sînpetru Formation, Romania, Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
Ronella Lapparent de Broin in Gheerbrant et al. 1999 Jibou Formation, Romania Paleocene (Thanetian) (alternatively considered a species of Dortoka)

An indeterminate dortokid is also known from the Hauterivian-Barremian aged El Castellar Formation in Spain.

Notes and References

Pérez-García. A.. Cobos. A.. Royo-Torres. R.. 2017-06-01. The oldest evidence of a dortokid turtle (stem Pleurodira) from the uppermost Hauterivian-basal Barremian El Castellar Formation (Teruel, Spain). Journal of Iberian Geology. en. 43. 2. 139–146. 10.1007/s41513-017-0013-7. 2017JIbG...43..139P . 135098500 . 1886-7995.
2014-03-01. Eodortoka morellana gen. et sp. nov., the first pan-pleurodiran turtle (Dortokidae) defined in the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. Cretaceous Research. en. 48. 130–138. 10.1016/j.cretres.2013.12.004. 0195-6671. Pérez-García . A. . Gasulla . J.M. . Ortega . F. . 2014CrRes..48..130P .
Jacobs . M. L. . Pérez-García . A. . Martín-Jiménez . M. . Mottram . C. M. . Martill . D. M. . Gale . A. S. . Mattsson . O. . Wood . C. . 2023 . A well preserved pan-pleurodiran (Dortokidae) turtle from the English Lower Cretaceous and the first radiometric date for the Wessex Formation (Hauterivian-Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom . Cretaceous Research . 150 . 105590 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105590. free . 2023CrRes.15005590J .