Turtles from the Lower Cretaceous of the Cameros Basin (Iberian Range, Spain)

Knowledge of the turtle fauna from the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula has been very limited until now. There are several fossil sites where Lower Cretaceous associations of continental vertebrates have been found. Although turtles have been identified in some of them, most of these specimens have not been studied, so the diversity is unknown. Among all these findings, the turtles from the Cameros Basin are considered particularly relevant, both in their abundance and diversity. Their study has allowed the identification of several taxa. At least one representative of Solemydidae and three taxa of Eucryptodira are recognized. This study establishes kinship and biogeographic relationships between the taxa in Cameros with those found in other Spanish fossil sites and with those of other European regions.

► A diverse turtle fauna is identified in the Lower Cretaceous of the Cameros Basin.
► Solemydidae and three representatives of Eucryptodira are recognized there.
► The information on Lower Cretaceous turtles of Spain was so far very limited.
► Biogeographic relationships with taxa present in other European sites are analysed.