First fossil turtle from Hainan Island, China

Although Hainan Island is one of the richest regions for living turtle species in China, no fossil turtle had hitherto been discovered there. In this paper we report on a partial turtle shell from the Middle Pleistocene of Xinchong Cave, Changjing, Hainan, which is the fi rst fossil turtle from that island. The specimen is identifi ed as belonging to an extant geoemydid, Mauremys sinensis. This discovery indicates that the species, as a component of the extant turtle fauna in Hainan, had already reached the island by the Middle Pleistocene.