Unlike the sea turtles Toxochelys and Eochelone, Euclastes has a secondary palate. However, the secondary palate of Euclastes is not as extensive as it is in Ctenochelys and Angolachelys.[6] The genus can be distinguished by later sea turtles based on its broad, low skull; broad, flat palate; wide, flat dentary bone with an elongated symphysis; and low tomial ridge on the beak. The widened palate and dentaries give Eochelone wide, flat jaws suitable for crushing hard-shelled organisms.[3]
Classification
Species
†E. acutirostrisJalil et al., 2009
†E. platyopsCope, 1867
†E. wielandi(Hay, 1908)
Phylogeny
Cladogram based on Lynch and Parham (2003)[3] and Parham and Pyenson (2010):[7]
^Ullmann, S. G.; Carr, E. (2021). "Catapleura Cope, 1870 is Euclastes Cope, 1867 (Testudines: Pan-Cheloniidae): synonymy revealed by a new specimen from New Jersey". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19 (7): 491–517. Bibcode:2021JSPal..19..491U. doi:10.1080/14772019.2021.1928306. S2CID236504236.
^Mateus, O., M. J. Polcyn, L. L. Jacobs, R. Arujo, A. S. Schulp, J. Marinheiro, B. Pereira and D. Vineyard. 2012. Cretaceous amniotes from Angola: dinosaurs, pterosaurs, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles. Actas de V Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontologia de Dinosaurios y su Entorno, Salas de los Infantes, Burgos 71-105