Interpreting character variation in turtles: (Pleurodira: Pelomedusoides) from the Araripe Basin, Early Cretaceous of Northeastern Brazil.

The Araripe Basin (Northeastern Brazil) has yielded a rich Cretaceous fossil fauna of both vertebrates and invertebrates found mainly in the Crato and Romualdo Formations, of Aptian and Albian ages respectively. Among the vertebrates, the turtles were found to be quite diverse, with several specimens retrieved and five valid species described to this date for the Romualdo Formation. There were also records of turtles from Ipubi and Crato Formations, mainly fragmentary material which precluded proper specific identification; however, is supposed to occur on both Crato and Romualdo Formations.