«Pleurocoelus» valdensis Lydekker, 1889 (Saurischia, Sauropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) of the Iberian Peninsula

One fragmentary sauropod isolated tooth from the Upper Barremian-Lower Aptian (Artoles Formation) of Vallipón (Castellote, Teruel province, Spain) is described. It has a «parallel-sided» crown and a «compressed cone-chisellike » general form. This tooth resembles the teeth from the Lower Barremian of Boca do Chapin (Estremadura province, Portugal) and Galve (Teruel province) described as Pleurocoelus valdensis/Astrodon valdensis and cf. Astrodon sp., respectively. The Portuguese and Spanish teeth are compared with the teeth of Pleurocoelusvaldensis from England, and Astrodon johnstoni and Pleurocoelus nanus from Maryland (USA), and they show similarities with the English species. Due to P. valdensis and P. nanus could not be congeneric, «Pleurocoelus» valdensis is put with quotation marks. «P.» valdensis is based on several isolated teeth from the Berriasian-Valanginian of Sussex and the Barremian of the Isle of Wight, but no holotype was designated, and all those teeth could represent two or more different sauropods species. The specific name is reserved to compressed cone-chisel-like teeth with enamel ornamented with irregular longitudinal ridges, probably pertaining to brachiosaurid sauropod

First evidence of theropod dinosaurs from the Mirambel Formation (Lower Barremian, Lower Cretaceous) from Castellote, Teruel

We describe here two new dinosaur theropod teeth from the Mirambel Formation (Lower Barremian, Lower Cretaceous) found in Ladruñán (Castellote, Teruel, NE Spain). One of them is included in Baryonychinae, a subfamily well known in other sites of the Iberian Range. The other one belongs to a noncarcharodontosaurid Allosauroidea. This last group of mid and big sized theropods is described for the first time in the Iberian Barremian, and it represents a new evidence of the similarity between the dinosaur faunas from the English Wealden (Isle of Wight) and the «Weald» (Lower Cretaceous) of the Iberian Rang

Nuevos datos sobre los dinosaurios terópodos (Saurischia: Theropoda) del Cretácico superior de los Pirineos Sur-Centrales (Huesca y Lleida)

Six new theropod teeth recovered trom the Blasi 1-3 sites (Upper Maastrichtian) in Arén (Huesca province, Spain) are described and added to the twenty six teeth already known from these and other five localities of Late Campanian-Early Maastrichtian age from the Arén and Tremp formations (Figuero1a 2, Fontllonga 6, L'Abeller, Montrebei and Vicari 4, Lleida province). Eleven theropod teeth morphotypes are recognised: one belonging to a big size theropod of indeterminate family (Theropoda indet.), one small Coelurosauria indet. with unserrated teeth, the enigmatic Euronychodon sp, and eight morphotypes of cf. Dromaesauridae indet. with different denticle morphology and serration density (which would represent four five different taxa). The tooth previously described in the Upper Campanian of Lleida as "Richardoestesia Like" could also be assigned to cf. Dromaeosauridae indet. Theropod diversity in our sites is apparently similar to that of the rest of Europe, and increases through the Campanian-Maastrichtian transition, although our small samples is biased towards the youngest sites

New evidence of lambeosaurine hadrosaurs (Dinosauria) in the Upper Maastrichtian of the Iberian Peninsula (Arén, Huesca Province, NE Spain)

We describe here in a complete right ilium from Arén (Huesca, Spain). It comes from the Blasi 3 locality, situated in the bottom of the Conques Formation (Tremp Group), in the Tremp Basin (South Central Pyrenees). Blasi 3 is located in a level of grey massive sandy limestone, of Late Maastrichtian in age. The ilium has been regarded as an indeterminate lambeosaurine hadrosaur on the basis, among other characters, of its massive supracetabular process and its strongly curved preacetabular process. Besides the possible lambeosaurine Pararhabdodon from Lleida province, also found in the South Central Pyrenees, the Blasi 3 ilium represents a new good evidence of a lambeosaurine dinosaur presence in Europe the end the Cretaceou

The first theropod skeletal remain from the Iberian Cenomanian: the tooth from Limanes (Oviedo, Asturias, N Spain)

We describe an isolated tooth of a theropod dinosaur recovered at the Limanes village, in the vicinity of Oviedo (Principality of Asturias, north Spain). It comes from an outcrop of the La Manjoya Formation, possibly Lower-Middle Cenomanian based on their foraminiferal content. The tooth can not be identified to generic of familiar level, so it is only assigned to Theropoda indet. By its size and serration density it could pertain to a carcharodontosaurid dinosaur, but it cannot be confirmed due to its fragmentary condition. This is the first mention of a theropod dinosaur in the Cretaceous of Asturias and the only theropod skeletal remain described in the pre-Campanian Late Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsul

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

The cranial osteology and feeding ecology of the Metriorhynchid Crocodylomorph Genera <i>Dakosaurus</i> and <i>Plesiosuchus</i> from the late Jurassic of Europe

Background: Dakosaurus and Plesiosuchus are characteristic genera of aquatic, large-bodied, macrophagous metriorhynchid crocodylomorphs. Recent studies show that these genera were apex predators in marine ecosystems during the latter part of the Late Jurassic, with robust skulls and strong bite forces optimized for feeding on large prey. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we present comprehensive osteological descriptions and systematic revisions of the type species of both genera, and in doing so we resurrect the genus Plesiosuchus for the species Dakosaurus manselii. Both species are diagnosed with numerous autapomorphies. Dakosaurus maximus has premaxillary 'lateral plates'; strongly ornamented maxillae; macroziphodont dentition; tightly fitting tooth-to-tooth occlusion; and extensive macrowear on the mesial and distal margins. Plesiosuchus manselii is distinct in having: non-amblygnathous rostrum; long mandibular symphysis; microziphodont teeth; tooth-crown apices that lack spalled surfaces or breaks; and no evidence for occlusal wear facets. Our phylogenetic analysis finds Dakosaurus maximus to be the sister taxon of the South American Dakosaurus andiniensis, and Plesiosuchus manselii in a polytomy at the base of Geosaurini (the subclade of macrophagous metriorhynchids that includes Dakosaurus, Geosaurus and Torvoneustes). Conclusions/Significance: The sympatry of Dakosaurus and Plesiosuchus is curiously similar to North Atlantic killer whales, which have one larger 'type' that lacks tooth-crown breakage being sympatric with a smaller 'type' that has extensive crown breakage. Assuming this morphofunctional complex is indicative of diet, then Plesiosuchus would be a specialist feeding on other marine reptiles while Dakosaurus would be a generalist and possible suction-feeder. This hypothesis is supported by Plesiosuchus manselii having a very large optimum gape (gape at which multiple teeth come into contact with a prey-item), while Dakosaurus maximus possesses craniomandibular characteristics observed in extant suction-feeding odontocetes: shortened tooth-row, amblygnathous rostrum and a very short mandibular symphysis. We hypothesise that trophic specialisation enabled these two large-bodied species to coexist in the same ecosystem.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse