A new soft-shelled trionychid turtle of the genus khunnuchelys from the upper cretaceous bostobe formation of Kazakhstan

Previously unpublished trionychid turtle material from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian - lower Campanian) Bostobe Formation from the Baybishe and Baykhozha localities in Kazakhstan is described. The material represents a new species of Khunnuchelys, a large, skull-based clade of Cretaceous Asian trionychids. Concordant with other partial skulls and fragmentary specimens described previously, Khunnuchelys lophorhothon sp. nov. has the unusual features of a beaklike maxilla and a vaulted, expanded triturating surface. In addition, the specimens reveal novel features including a constricted skull roof. Although estimates of the length of the carapace differ depending on estimation method, the skull belonged to a turtle of comparable size to the shell-based species "Trionyx" kansaiensis from the same formation. It is likely that K. lophorhothon and "T". lophorhothon kansaiensis are synonymous, but this can be proved only by a find of associated skull and shell material.