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Abundance of large ornithopod dinosaurs in the El Castellar Formation (Hauterivian-Barremian, Lower Cretaceous) of the Peñagolosa sub-basin (Teruel, Spain)

Abundancia de grandes dinosaurios ornitópodos en la Formación El Castellar (Hauteriviense-Barremiense, Cretácico Inferior) de la subcuenca de Peñagolosa (Teruel, España)

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Abstract

The El Castellar Formation (upper Hauterivian-lowermost Barremian, Lower Cretaceous) in the southwest of the Maestrat Basin (Spain) has yielded diverse dinosaur remains, mostly fragmentary bones. This study describes, morphometrically analyses, and compares several isolated postcranial fossils of large ornithopods from three new different sites in the municipality of Cabra de Mora (Peñagolosa sub-basin, Teruel Province). The fossils are attributed to styracosternan ornithopods, and some of them are related to the species Iguanodon galvensis, representing the oldest known record related to this taxon in the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, this study verifies the hypothesis of the coexistence of at least two different styracosternans—a medium-sized form and a large-sized one—during the late Hauterivian-early Barremian in the Peñagolosa sub-basin. In addition, we formally describe the first dinosaur tracksite of the El Castellar Formation in this sub-basin. All ichnites are preserved as natural casts, and their trackmakers are likely to have been related to large styracosternans. Hence, the evidence provided here by both bones and tracks supports the idea that large ornithopods were the predominant dinosaurs in the wetlands of an extensive coastal plain.

Resumen

La Formación El Castellar (Hauteriviense superior-Barremiense basal) en el suroeste de la Cuenca del Maestrazgo (España) ha proporcionado diversos fósiles de dinosaurios bastante fragmentarios. Aquí describimos, analizamos morfométricamente y comparamos varios restos postcraneales aislados de grandes ornitópodos procedentes de tres yacimientos en el municipio de Cabra de Mora (subcuenca de Peñagolosa, provincia de Teruel). Los fósiles son atribuidos sistemáticamente a grandes ornitópodos estiracosternos, y algunos de ellos son relacionados con Iguanodon galvensis, lo que implica que estos restos pueden representar el registro más antiguo relacionado con dicho taxón en la Península Ibérica. Además, este estudio comprueba la hipótesis de la presencia de al menos dos formas de estiracosternos durante el Hauteriviense tardío-Barremiense temprano en la subcuenca de Peñagolosa, uno de talla grande y otro de talla mediana. Adicionalmente, se describe formalmente el primer yacimiento de icnitas de dinosaurios en la Formación El Castellar de esta subcuenca. Todas las icnitas están preservadas como hiporrelieves convexos y sus productores podrían estar relacionados también con grandes estiracosternos. Por lo tanto, la evidencia aquí proporcionada tanto por los restos directos como por las icnitas respaldan la idea de que los grandes ornitópodos eran los dinosaurios predominantes en los diferentes humedales desarrollados en una extensa llanura costera.

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modified from Mantellisaurus picture in Paul (2008, Fig. 1c)

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Availability of data and material

The remains studied here are deposited in a public institution (Museo Aragonés de Paleontología).

Code availability

Not applicable for that section.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Departamento de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Gobierno de Aragón), Research Group E04_20R FOCONTUR financed by Departamento de Ciencia, Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento (Gobierno de Aragón), the Instituto Aragonés de Fomento, the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCI), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) from Spanish Government (PGC2018-094034-B-C22 and Unidad de Paleontología de Dinosaurios de Teruel). The authors thank Pascal Godefroit, Annelise Folie and all the RBINS (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) staff for providing access to the Bernissart iguanodontian collection on 2016. We appreciate useful comments and suggestions made by the associate editor Laura Domingo, and the two reviewers Fernando Escaso and anonymous. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Gabriel Fuentes Bellido, neighbour of Cabra de Mora, for donating part of the material studied here to the Museo Aragonés de Paleontología (MAP).

Funding

This work was supported by the Departamento de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Gobierno de Aragón), Research Group E04_20R FOCONTUR financed by Departamento de Ciencia, Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento (Gobierno de Aragón), the Instituto Aragonés de Fomento, the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCI), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) from Spanish Government (PGC2018-094034-B-C22 and Unidad de Paleontología de Dinosaurios de Teruel).

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  1. Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis, Museo Aragonés de Paleontología, Av. Sagunto s/n, 44002, Teruel, Spain

    Josué García-Cobeña, Francisco J. Verdú & Alberto Cobos

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  1. Josué García-Cobeña
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García-Cobeña, J., Verdú, F.J. & Cobos, A. Abundance of large ornithopod dinosaurs in the El Castellar Formation (Hauterivian-Barremian, Lower Cretaceous) of the Peñagolosa sub-basin (Teruel, Spain). J Iber Geol 48, 107–127 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-021-00185-w

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