Neuroanatomy of the crocodylomorph Portugalosuchus azenhae from the late cretaceous of Portugal

We present the first detailed braincase anatomical description and neuroanatomical study of Portugalosuchus azenhae, from the Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Portugal. This eusuchian crocodylomorph was originally described as a putative Crocodylia and one of the oldest representatives of this clade; however, its phylogenetic position remains controversial. Based on new data obtained from high resolution Computed Tomography images (by micro-CT scan), this study aims to improve the original description of this taxon and also update the scarce neuroanatomical knowledge of Eusuchia and Crocodylia from this time interval, a key period to understand the origin and evolution of these clades. The resulting three-dimensional models from the CT data allowed a detailed description of its well-preserved neurocranium and internal cavities. Therefore, it was possible to reconstruct the cavities of the olfactory region, nasopharyngeal ducts, brain, nerves, carotid arteries, blood vessels, paratympanic sinus system and inner ear, which allowed to estimate some neurosensorial capabilities. By comparison with other crocodylomorphs, these analyses showed that Portugalosuchus, back in the Cenomanian, already displayed an olfactive acuity, sight, hearing and cognitive skills within the range of that observed in other basal eusuchians and crocodylians, including extant species. In addition, and in order to test its disputed phylogenetic position, these new anatomical data, which helped to correct and complete some of the original observations, were included in one of the most recent morphology-based phylogenies. The position of Portugalosuchus differs slightly from the original publication since it is now located as a "thoracosaurid" within Gavialoidea, but still as a crocodylian. Despite all this, to better contrast these results, additional phylogenetic analyses including this new morphological character coding together with DNA data should be performed

A new plesiosaur from the Lower Jurassic of Portugal and the early radiation of Plesiosauroidea

A new plesiosaur partial skeleton, comprising most of the trunk and including axial, limb, and girdle bones, was collected in the lower Sinemurian (Coimbra Formation) of Praia da Concha, near São Pedro de Moel in central west Portugal. The specimen represents a new genus and species, Plesiopharos moelensis gen. et sp. nov. Phylogenetic analysis places this taxon at the base of Plesiosauroidea. Its position is based on this exclusive combination of characters: Presence of a straight preaxial margin of the radius; transverse processes of mid-dorsal vertebrae horizontally oriented; ilium with sub-circular cross section of the shaft and subequal anteroposterior expansion of the dorsal blade; straight proximal end of the humerus; and ventral surface of the humerus with an anteroposteriorly long shallow groove between the epipodial facets. In addition, the new taxon has the following autapomorphies: Iliac blade with less expanded, rounded and convex anterior flank; highly developed ischial facet of the ilium; apex of the neural spine of the first pectoral vertebra inclined posterodorsally with a small rounded tip. This taxon represents the most complete and the oldest plesiosaur species in the Iberian Peninsula. It is also the most complete, best preserved, and oldest marine vertebrate in the region and testifies to the incursion of marine reptiles in the newly formed proto-Atlantic sea, prior to the Atlantic Ocean floor spreading in the Early Cretaceous.publishersversionpublishe

A new crocodylomorph related ootaxon from the late Maastrichtian of the Southern Pyrenees (Huesca, Spain)

Crocodylomorph eggs and eggshells are known as old as the Late Jurassic and are frequent components of most multiootaxic eggshell assemblages. Classified within the oofamily Krokolithidae, thei histo- and ultrastructures are conservative throughout geological time, characterised by inverted-trapezoid-shaped shell units that grow from highly spaced basal knobs and present a diagnostic tabular ultrastructure. Here, we report 327 eggshell fragments from a new fossil site from the Maastrichtian of the Southern Pyrenees, Veracruz 1, and erect a new oogenus and oospecies, Pachykrokolithus excavatum oogen. et oosp. nov. characterised by crocodyloid morphotype and a prominent rugosocavate ornamentation. Eggshells from the slightly older locality of Blasi 2b, previously reported as aff. Krokolithidae, are also assigned to this new ootaxon. Different crocodylomorph taxa coexisted during the Late Cretaceous of the Tremp Basin, hindering the attribution of Pachykrokolithus excavatum oogen. et oosp. nov. to a single clade. Nevertheless, allodaposuchid eusuchians were dominant in this ecosystem, and are the most probable producers of Pachykrokolithus excavatum oogen. et oosp. nov. eggs

A new vertebrate assemblage from the matute formation of the Cameros Basin (Ágreda, Spain): implications for the diversity during the jurassic/cretaceous boundary

Altres ajuts: Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.The Ribota site (Ágreda, Soria, Spain) is a new locality in the Matute Formation (Tithonian-Berriasian) composed of several carbonate layers, outstandingly rich in macrovertebrate remains. Fossils show an unusual replacement of the original bioapatite by quartz, and are found as positive reliefs protruding from lacustrine limestone beds. This type of conservation has allowed the identification of around one hundred vertebrate bone accumulations in an outcrop of more than 10 hectares. Osteichthyans (articulated partial skeletons, cranial material, and isolated postcranial bones and scales), crocodylomorphs (disarticulated cranial material, isolated teeth, vertebrae and osteoderms), turtles (partial carapaces and plastra, but also isolated plates) and pterosaurs (cranial and appendicular elements) have been identified. Around 80 specimens have been collected and a preliminary study of part of the collection (35 specimens) has allowed the identification of at least 5 different taxa: Halecomorphi indet., Neoginglymodi indet., Goniopholididae indet., Testudinata indet., and Pterodactyloidea indet. This new site represents one of the few sites from this time interval preserved in a fully lacustrine environment, so these vertebrate assemblages are unique and composed of different animals that presumably lived around and within the lake. They are dominated by aquatic and amphibian vertebrates and was formed by attrition in this lacustrine environment, possibly far from the lake shoreline. These macrovertebrate assemblages provide new data about the diversity in the faunal ecosystems from the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition of the Iberian Basin Rift System

Reconstruyendo el mundo perdido de los dinosaurios

El interés por los vertebrados fósiles es cada vez mayor, y raro es el día que no surge alguna noticia de un nuevo descubrimiento, especialmente en dinosaurios. Los investigadores en Paleontología nos dedicamos a reconstruir los ecosistemas del pasado y conocer su evolución. El grupo Aragosaurus es un equipo de investigación de la Facultad de Ciencias integrado en el Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA) en el que se incluyen investigadores de otras universidades españolas. Una de nuestras líneas de trabajo son los vertebrados fósiles del Mesozoico, un periodo de tiempo comprendido entre los 250 y 65 millones de años (Ma), y que es conocido como la era de los dinosaurios. Estos animales se integraban en ecosistemas tan complejos como los actuales. Reconstruimos su Paleobiología basándonos en estudios filogenéticos, anatómicos y biomecánicos de los huesos, además de las evidencias de su actividad orgánica conservadas en pisadas fosilizadas (icnitas) y cáscara de huevo.Además de los dinosaurios también estudiamos el resto de los vertebrados fósiles que formabanlos ecosistemas del Mesozoico como son los tiburones y otros peces, cocodrilos, reptiles voladores, mamíferos, anfibios y lagartos. Nuestro objetivo global es aportar información para reconstruir el mundo perdido de los dinosaurios. Fruto del interés social por estas investigacioneses la frecuencia con la que han aparecido reseñas de prensa con los resultados del trabajo de investigación de nuestro grupo en los últimos meses. Queremos compartir con los lectores de conCIENCIAS un resumen de los descubrimientos más singulares y significativos ordenados demás antiguos a más modernos. Fil: Canudo, José Ignacio. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Badiola, Ainara. Universidad del País Vasco, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología; Países BajosFil: Barco, José Luis. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Castanera, Diego. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Cruzado Caballero, Penélope. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Ester. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Díaz, Ignacio. Universidad de la Rioja, Facultad de Ciencias, Estudios Agroalimentarios e Informática; ArgentinaFil: Gasca, José Manuel. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Moreno Azanza, Miguel. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Parrilla, Jara. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Puértolas Pascual, Eduardo. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Ruiz Omeñaca, José Ignacio. Museo Jurásico de Asturias; EspañaFil: Vila, Bernat. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Cuenca, Gloria. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; Españ

A new look at Crocodylopodus meijidei : implications for crocodylomorph locomotion

A review of the type material of the crocodylomorph ichnotaxon Crocodylopodus meijidei Fuentes Vidarte and Meijide Calvo, 2001 from the Berriasian of Spain is carried out. The review allows a better characterization of this type ichnotaxon and provides interesting new data on the candidate trackmakers and especially on their locomotion. Three different size classes possibly related to different ontogenetic states or sexual dimorphism of the same small- to medium-sized crocodylomorph trackmaker are distinguished. Morphological differences within the sample such as digital impression lengths might be a consequence of differences in allometric growth, assuming similarities with extant crocodylians. Other differences are a consequence of variation in the morphological quality and mode of preservation across the sample. Some trackway features (intermediate-gauge trackways with high pace angulation, absence of tail, belly or drag marks) indicate the trackmakers, presumed neosuchian crocodylomorphs, were walking in a 'high-walk' mode with a semi-erect posture at a moderate speed. The trackmaker may have walked with more erect limb posture and with the center of mass located more anteriorly than occurs in extant species, albeit not as erect as quadrupedal animals such as mammals or other extinct archosaurs including trackmakers of other crocodylomorph ichnotaxa (e.g., Batrachopus)

A new goniopholidid crocodylomorph from the Late Jurassic of Portugal

Plenty of goniopholidid species from the Mesozoic have been found in the Iberian Peninsula. A previous goniopholidid taxon, Goniopholis baryglyphaeus Schwarz, 2002, from the Late Jurassic of the Guimarota coal mine (Leiria, central Portugal) was described. This taxon corresponds to a partial skull and some postcranial material, and it marked the oldest and first ever record of goniopholidid and Goniopholis species described for the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present a well-preserved, almost complete, skull of a new species, Ophiussasuchus paimogonectes gen. et sp. nov. from Upper Jurassic deposits of Praia de Paimogo (near Lourinhã, central west Portugal). The specimen corresponds to a mesorostrine, platyrostral skull of a medium-sized goniopholidid coming from the upper Kimmeridgian within the Lourinhã Formation. Phylogenetically, the new species is recovered as the sister taxon of the Early Cretaceous European clade made by Hulkepholis and Anteophthalmosuchus. Although its position is well-resolved, this new taxon displays intermediate morphological traits, sharing characteristics with Jurassic Asian and American basal goniopholidids (e.g., presence but lesser development of the secondary choana with the nasopharyngeal duct partially open), as well as more derived characters shared with Cretaceous European taxa such as Hulkepholis (e.g., the shape of the supratemporal fenestra and the palatines). As a result, Ophiussasuchus paimogonectes gen. et sp. nov. exhibits characteristics suggesting a reversion to primitive goniopholidid conditions or intermediate states between the goniopholidid taxa of North America and Europe. These findings support the shared Late Jurassic fauna between the Morrison and Lourinhã Formations, while also having high endemism of taxa

<i>Allodaposuchus palustris</i> sp. nov. from the Upper Cretaceous of Fumanya (South-Eastern Pyrenees, Iberian Peninsula): Systematics, Palaeoecology and Palaeobiogeography of the Enigmatic Allodaposuchian Crocodylians

<div><p>The controversial European genus <i>Allodaposuchus</i> is currently composed of two species (<i>A. precedens, A. subjuniperus</i>) and it has been traditionally considered a basal eusuchian clade of crocodylomorphs. In the present work, the new species <i>A. palustris</i> is erected on the base of cranial and postcranial remains from the lower Maastrichtian of the southern Pyrenees. Phylogenetic analyses here including both cranial and postcranial data support the hypothesis that <i>Allodaposuchus</i> is included within Crocodylia. The studied specimen suggests little change in postcranial skeleton along the evolutionary history of crocodylians, except for some bone elements such as the axis, the first caudal vertebra and the ilium. The specimen was found in an organic mudstone corresponding to a coastal wetland environment. Thus, <i>A. palustris</i> from Fumanya is the first <i>Allodaposuchus</i> reported in lacustrine-palustrine settings that expand the ecological range for this genus. The S-DIVA palaeobiogeographic reconstruction of ancestral area suggests that early members of Crocodylia rapidly widespread for the Northern Hemisphere landmasses no later than the Campanian, leading the apparition of endemic groups. In that way “Allodaposuchia” represents an endemic European clade probably originated in the Ibero-Armorican domain in the late Campanian and dispersed by the Southern European archipelago prior to the early Maastrichtian.</p></div

Allodaposuchus palustris sp. nov. from the upper Cretaceous of Fumanya (South-Eastern Pyrenees, Iberian Peninsula) : systematics, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography of the enigmatic Allodaposuchian crocodylians

The controversial European genus Allodaposuchus is currently composed of two species (A. precedens, A. subjuniperus) and it has been traditionally considered a basal eusuchian clade of crocodylomorphs. In the present work, the new species A. palustris is erected on the base of cranial and postcranial remains from the lower Maastrichtian of the southern Pyrenees. Phylogenetic analyses here including both cranial and postcranial data support the hypothesis that Allodaposuchus is included within Crocodylia. The studied specimen suggests little change in postcranial skeleton along the evolutionary history of crocodylians, except for some bone elements such as the axis, the first caudal vertebra and the ilium. The specimen was found in an organic mudstone corresponding to a coastal wetland environment. Thus, A. palustris from Fumanya is the first Allodaposuchus reported in lacustrine-palustrine settings that expand the ecological range for this genus. The S-DIVA palaeobiogeographic reconstruction of ancestral area suggests that early members of Crocodylia rapidly widespread for the Northern Hemisphere landmasses no later than the Campanian, leading the apparition of endemic groups. In that way "Allodaposuchia" represents an endemic European clade probably originated in the Ibero-Armorican domain in the late Campanian and dispersed by the Southern European archipelago prior to the early Maastrichtian

Pelvic scar and hindlimb bones of <i>Allodaposuchus palustris</i> sp. nov. from the Fumanya locality.

<p>A, left ilium in lateral view; B, interpretative drawing of A; C–E, proximal epiphysis of the left femur in anterior, lateral and posterior views; F–G, proximal epiphysis of the left tibia in anterior and posterior views; H–J, proximal fragment and diaphysis of the left fibula; K–M, calcaneum in distal, lateral and anterior views; N–O, astragalus in anterior and posterior views; P–R, undetermined phalanx in dorsal, lateral and ventral view. Abbreviations: act, acetabulum; aip, anterior ischiadic process; ap, anterior process; ib, iliac blade; pip, posterior ischiadic process; pp, posterior process; sactc, supracetabular crest.</p