New material and phylogenetic position of the basal iguanodont dinosaur Delapparentia turolensis from the Barremian (Early Cretaceous) of Spain

a partial postcranial skeleton discovered in the 1950s near the village of Galve (Teruel Province), within the Camarillas Formation. Recently, new remains from the same individual have been recovered, and these are described here. Furthermore, after first-hand examinations of the holotype, the phylogenetic position of this taxon has been analysed for the first time, and its diagnosis is emended. Delapparentia turolensis is a large-sized, basal iguanodont which presents an autapomorphic, unusually high axial neural spine and a unique combination of postcranial characters. The ilium morphology differs from that of other basal iguanodonts and relates Delapparentia to the Valanginian Barilium dawsoni from England, with whom it shares two synapomorphies. In our phylogenetic analysis Delapparentia is recovered in a polytomy with Kukufeldia, Lanzhousaurus, Barilium and the clade equivalent to Iguanodontoidea. Delapparentia turolensis Ruiz-Omeñaca, 2011 es el único taxón iguanodonte definido en el Barremiense de España. Está descrito a partir de un esqueleto postcraneal parcial descubierto en la década de 1950 próximo al pueblo de Galve (provincia de Teruel), dentro de la Formación Camarillas. Recientemente, se han recuperado nuevos restos del mismo individuo que se describen aquí. Además, tras examinar de primera mano el holotipo, se ha analizado la posición filogenética de este taxón por primera vez además de enmendar su diagnosis. Delapparentia turolensis es un iguanodonte basal de gran tamaño, que presenta una espina neural axial autapomórfica, al ser inusualmente alta, y una combinación única de caracteres postcraneales. La forma del ilion es diferente de la de otros iguanodontes basales y relaciona a Delapparentia con Barilium dawsoni del Valanginiense de Inglaterra, al compartir de forma exclusiva dos sinapomorfías. En nuestro análisis filogenético Delapparentia se sitúa en una politomía con Kukufeldia, Lanzhousaurus, Barilium y el clado equivalente a Iguanodontoide

New material and phylogenetic position of the basal iguanodont dinosaur Delapparentia turolensis from the Barremian (Early Cretaceous) of Spain

Delapparentia turolensis Ruiz-Omeñaca, 2011 is the only iguanodont taxon erected in the Barremian of Spain. It is described on the basis of a partial postcranial skeleton discovered in the 1950s near the village of Galve (Teruel Province), within the Camarillas Formation. Recently, new remains from the same individual have been recovered, and these are described here. Furthermore, after first-hand examinations of the holotype, the phylogenetic position of this taxon has been analysed for the first time, and its diagnosis is emended. Delapparentia turolensis is a large-sized, basal iguanodont which presents an autapomorphic, unusually high axial neural spine and a unique combination of postcranial characters. The ilium morphology differs from that of other basal iguanodonts and relates Delapparentia to the Valanginian Barilium dawsoni from England, with whom it shares two synapomorphies. In our phylogenetic analysis Delapparentia is recovered in a polytomy with Kukufeldia, Lanzhousaurus, Barilium and the clade equivalent to Iguanodontoidea.Delapparentia turolensis Ruiz-Omeñaca, 2011 es el único taxón iguanodonte definido en el Barremiense de España. Está descrito a partir de un esqueleto postcraneal parcial descubierto en la década de 1950 próximo al pueblo de Galve (provincia de Teruel), dentro de la Formación Camarillas. Recientemente, se han recuperado nuevos restos del mismo individuo que se describen aquí. Además, tras examinar de primera mano el holotipo, se ha analizado la posición filogenética de este taxón por primera vez además de enmendar su diagnosis. Delapparentia turolensis es un iguanodonte basal de gran tamaño, que presenta una espina neural axial autapomórfica, al ser inusualmente alta, y una combinación única de caracteres postcraneales. La forma del ilion es diferente de la de otros iguanodontes basales y relaciona a Delapparentia con Barilium dawsoni del Valanginiense de Inglaterra, al compartir de forma exclusiva dos sinapomorfías. En nuestro análisis filogenético Delapparentia se sitúa en una politomía con Kukufeldia, Lanzhousaurus, Barilium y el clado equivalente a Iguanodontoidea

Unusual theropod eggshells from the early cretaceous blesa formation of the Iberian Range, Spain

Trigonoolithus amoae oogen. et oosp. nov. is described on the basis of abundant eggshell fragments from the La Cantalera 1 site in the Early Cretaceous (early Barremian) Blesa Formation, Teruel Province, northern Spain. The surface ornamentation, the most diagnostic feature of the new oogenus, consists of closely spaced sub-triangular or rounded protuberances that have not previously been reported in any other ootaxon. The eggshells present three distinct layers, with a gradual transition between prismatic and mammillary layers, and a poorly developed external layer with progressive prismatic to external layer transition, a combination of characters that allows them to be assigned to Prismatoolithidae. Phylogenetic analyses based on oological characters place Trigonoolithus at the base of Prismatoolithidae

The First Metriorhynchid Crocodylomorph from the Middle Jurassic of Spain, with Implications for Evolution of the Subclade Rhacheosaurini

Background: Marine deposits from the Callovian of Europe have yielded numerous species of metriorhynchid crocodylomorphs. While common in English and French Formations, metriorhynchids are poorly known from the Iberian Peninsula. Twenty years ago an incomplete, but beautifully preserved, skull was discovered from the Middle Callovian of Spain. It is currently the oldest and best preserved metriorhynchid specimen from the Iberian Peninsula. Until now it has never been properly described and its taxonomic affinities remained obscure. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we present a comprehensive description for this specimen and in doing so we refer it to a new genus and species: Maledictosuchus riclaensis. This species is diagnosed by numerous autapomorphies, including: heterodont dentition; tightly interlocking occlusion; lachrymal anterior process excludes the jugal from the preorbital fenestra; orbits longer than supratemporal fenestrae; palatine has two non-midline and one midline anterior processes. Our phylogenetic analysis finds Maledictosuchus riclaensis to be the basal-most known member of Rhacheosaurini (the subclade of increasingly mesopelagic piscivores that includes Cricosaurus and Rhacheosaurus). Conclusions/Significance: Our description of Maledictosuchus riclaensis shows that the craniodental morphologies that underpinned the success of Rhacheosaurini in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, as a result of increasing marine specialization to adaptations for feeding on fast small-bodied prey (i.e. divided and retracted external nares; reorientation of the lateral processes of the frontal; elongate, tubular rostrum; procumbent and non-carinated dentition; high overall tooth count; and dorsolaterally inclined paroccipital processes), first appeared during the Middle Jurassic. Rhacheosaurins were curiously rare in the Middle Jurassic, as only one specimen of Maledictosuchus riclaensis is known (with no representatives discovered from the well-sampled Oxford Clay Formation of England). As such, the feeding/marine adaptations of Rhacheosaurini did not confer an immediate selective advantage upon the group, and it took until the Late Jurassic for this subclade to dominate in Western Europe

The application of terrestrial laser scanner and SfM photogrammetry in measuring erosion and deposition processes in two opposite slopes in a humid Badlands area (Central Spanish Pyrenees)

Erosion and deposition processes in badland areas are usually estimated using traditional observations of topographic changes, measured by erosion pins or profile metres (invasive techniques). In recent times, remote-sensing techniques (non-invasive) have been routinely applied in geomorphology studies, especially in erosion studies. These techniques provide the opportunity to build high-resolution topographic models at centimetre accuracy. By comparing different 3-D point clouds of the same area, obtained at different time intervals, the variations in the terrain and temporal dynamics can be analysed. The aim of this study is to assess and compare the functioning of terrestrial laser scanner (TLS, RIEGL LPM-321) and structure-from-motion photogrammetry (SfM) techniques (Camera FUJIFILM, Finepix x100 and software PhotoScan by AgiSoft) to evaluate erosion and deposition processes in two opposite slopes in a humid badlands area in the central Spanish Pyrenees. Results showed that TLS data sets and SfM photogrammetry techniques provide new opportunities in geomorphological erosion studies. The data we recorded over 1 year demonstrated that north-facing slopes experienced more intense and faster changing geomorphological dynamics than south-facing slopes as well as the highest erosion rates. Different seasonal processes were observed, with the highest topographic differences observed during winter periods and the high-intensity rainfalls in summer. While TLS provided the highest accuracy models, SfM photogrammetry was still a faster methodology in the field and precise at short distances. Both techniques present advantages and disadvantages, and do not require direct contact with the soil and thus prevent the usual surface disturbance of traditional and invasive methods

First adequately-known quadrupedal sirenian from Eurasia (Eocene, Bay of Biscay, Huesca, northeastern Spain)

Sirenians are the only extant herbivorous mammals fully adapted to an aquatic lifestyle. They originated in Africa during the Paleocene from an undetermined clade of afrotherian mammals, and by the end of the Eocene they were widely distributed across the tropical latitudes. Here we introduce Sobrarbesiren cardieli gen. et sp. nov. It is the first adequately-known quadrupedal sirenian from Eurasia and the oldest record of this clade from western Europe. Fossils have been recovered from the middle Lutetian (SBZ15) site of Castejón de Sobrarbe-41 (Huesca, Spain), and comprise many cranial and postcranial remains, including pelvic girdle and hind limb bones, from at least six sirenian individuals of different ontogenetic stages. Sobrarbesiren shows a suite of characters previously considered synapomorphies of different clades of derived sirenians, such as the presence of the processus retroversus of the squamosal and the pterygoid fossa, combined with ancestral characters such as the presence of an alisphenoid canal, a permanent P5, at least two sacral vertebrae, a primitive pelvis and functional femora and fibulae. Sobrarbesiren is recovered as the sister taxon of Dugongidae and represents a transitional stage of adaptation to aquatic life between the amphibious quadrupedal prorastomids and the aquatic quadrupedal protosirenids

Mapping the potential distribution of frozen ground in Tucarroya (Monte Perdido Massif, the Pyrenees)

[EN] This paper shows the creation of a map of frozen ground potential for the Tucarroya valley in Ordesa National Park. To create this map, it was necessary to combine the identified landforms associated to the presence of frozen ground by fieldwork, ground temperature data continuously recorded during two years by automatic loggers, a Basal Temperature of Snow (BTS) survey, and predictor variables derived from a high resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Four environments have been differentiated: unfrozen ground, seasonal frozen ground, possible permafrost and probable permafrost. The map confirms a very limited variety and extension of permafrost, above 2700 m a.s.l. on gentle and shadowed slopes. Seasonal frozen ground is the most common thermal regime, as it can be developed above 2500 m a.s.l. Snow-pack duration and thickness tightly control the duration of frozen ground and the freezing-thawing cycles. Frost activity and unfrozen ground is restricted from 2570 to 2750 m a.s.l.SIThis research was funded by I+D+I projects CGL2015-68144-R, Hidroibernieve- CGL2017-82216-R (MINECO of Spanish government-FEDER) and Geoparque Sobrarbe-Comarca del Sobrabe (R- ADM15/57)

Hook effect in radioligand assay for Anti Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (Anti-GAD65). Influence of temperature and physicochemical interpretation

Background: Radioligand assay is one of the principal methods used for analytical determination of the Anti-GAD65 concentration. We studied the influence of temperature on the calibration curves obtained by such a method Matherial and Methods: We used a commercially available RIA kit for Anti-GAD65 and a gamma counter. Data was analyzed using Statistica software. Results and Discusion: Activities bound to the antibody increase with temperature. There was a decrease in activity for high concentrations attributable to the "hook effect". We propose a simple physicochemical model that justifies satisfactorily the results.Objetivo: El análisis por radioligando es uno de los métodos principales utilizados en la determinación analítica del Anti-GAD65. Se ha estudiado la influencia de la temperatura sobre las gráficas de calibración obtenidas por dicha técnica. Material y Métodos: Usamos un kit comercial para Anti-GAD65 y un contador gamma. Los resultados son analizados mediante el programa Statistica. Resultados y Discusión: Las actividades ligadas al anticuerpo aumentan con la temperatura. Se observa una disminución de la actividad para altas concentraciones atribuible al llamado “efecto anzuelo”. Se propone un sencillo modelo fisicoquímico que justifica satisfactoriamente los resultado

Análisis del funcionamiento de una red colectiva ante distintas estrategias de riego en parcela

En zonas colectivas de riego, la tarifa a pagar por los agricultores está muy condicionada con el gasto energético de los equipos de bombeo, relacionada a su vez con la cantidad de agua aplicada a los cultivos. Así pues, es necesario el desarrollo de herramientas de ayuda a la toma de decisiones que busquen mejorar la eficiencia en el uso del agua y la energía, sin comprometer el rendimiento y productividad de los cultivos. El objetivo del trabajo es analizar el consumo energético en una estación de bombeo de una red colectiva de riego a la demanda ante distintos escenarios de riego en parcela y de presiones en la cabecera. La metodología propuesta ha sido aplicada a la zona regable de Tarazona de La Mancha (Albacete, España). Se han establecidos dos manejos de riego en parcela (con y sin déficit) para los principales cultivos de la zona y diferentes estrategias de presiones en la cabecera (variable y fija), para analizar el efecto sobre la eficiencia y consumo energético del bombeo. Para ello, se ha utilizado una herramienta de simulación desarrollada en MATLAB®, en combinación con el motor de cálculo EPANET®, y se ha aplicado como ejemplo a un día de elevada demanda de agua en la red. Los resultados indican que la utilización de presión en cabecera variable y manejo deficitario, genera ahorros energéticos de 12,43% en relación al mismo manejo con presión fija