ANAPSIDA
CLASSIFICATION
Animalia: Vertebrata: Tetrapoda: Sauropsida
CLADOGRAM:
—Anapsida “without apses” =Parareptilia
|–Mesosauridae *
`–+?-Millerettidae *
`–Procolophonomorpha
|–Nyctiphruretia *
| |–Nycteroleter
| `–Nyctiphruretidae
`–Procolophoniformes
|–Procolophonidae *
`–+?-Lanthanosuchoidea *
| |–Acleisterorhinus
| `–Lanthanosuchidae
`–+–Sclerosauridae *
`–+–Rhipaeosauridae *
`–+–Pareiasauridae *
`–+–Proganochelyidae *
|–Proterochersidae *
`–Casichelonia
|?-Chelycarapookidae *
|?-Kallokibotiidae *
|?-Simemylidae *
`–Chelonia =Testudinata =Testudines (turtles)
|–Pleurodira “side necks”
| |–Chelyidae
| |?-Eusarkiidae *
| |?-Platychelidae *
| `–+–Araripemydidae *
| `–+–Pelomedusidae
| `–Podocnmemoidea
| |–Bothremydidae
| `–Podocnemidae
`–Cryptodira “hidden necks”
|–Baenidae *
|–Glyptopsidae ?=Pleurosternidae *
|–Meiolaniidae *
|–Neeurankylidae *
`–Eucryptodira “true cryptodirans”
|–Plesiochelyidae *
`–+?-Xinjiangchelys *
`–+–Sinemydidae *
`–+–Chelydridae (snapping turtles)
`–+–Chelonioidea (sea turtles)
| |–+–Cheloniidae
| | `–Toxochelyidae *
| `–+–Dermochelyidae
| |–Protostegidae *
| `–Thalassemyidae *
`–Chelomacryptodira
|–Testudinoidea
| |–Emydidae (box & water turtles)
| `–Testudinidae (terrapins)
`–Trionychoidea
|–Carettochelyidae
|–Dermatemydidae
|–Kinosternidae (mud & musk turtles)
`–Trionychidae (softshell turtles)
ESSAY
| Anapsida is a clade of of reptiles with no fenestrae (openings) in the back of their skulls. It includes large herbivores like pareiasaurs as well as modern-day turtles. During the Mesozoic Era, “The Age of Reptiles”, turtles grew to great sizes. Some, like Archelon, were the size of a car! In traditional usage, Anapsida included all amniotes without antorbital fenestrae. It has now been restricted to those sharing more recent ancestry with chelonians (turtles) than with other extant amniote groups. Membership is mostly the same, but excludes basalmost sauropsids (e.g. mesosaurids) and basal romeriids (e.g. captorhinids). Within Reptilia, anapsids are probably the most distant relatives of dinosaurs. |
