Short Papers from 2005

["Jerry D. Harris" <jharris@dixie.edu>]

Available free on-line at 
http://www.sociedadgeologica.es/publicaciones/geogaceta/2005_38.html


Cobos, A., Mampel, L., Royo-Torres, R., Espílez, E., and Alcalá, L. 2005. 
Nuevos yacimientos de icnitas de dinosaurio en Formiche Alto (Teruel). 
Geogaceta 38:19-22.

ABSTRACT: Three new dinosaur tracksites found in Formiche Alto (Teruel) are 
described in this paper: El Molino, Camino de Cabra y Barranco de los Arcos. 
These sites are near Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in age (Villar del 
Arzobispo Formation, ranging from Tithonian to Berriasian). The outcrops 
show higher number of manus prints than pes. The footprints are attributed 
both to small and large sauropod dinosaurs but there are some tridactyl 
tracks too. The presence of sauropod footprints from the Villar del 
Arzobispo Formation is also common in other sites recorded in the province 
of Teruel.


Royo-Torres, R., and Cobos, A. 2005. Presencia en Riodeva (Teruel) de la 
mayor vértebra caudal (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) de Europa. Geogaceta 38:23-26.

ABSTRACT: A big caudal vertebra from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation 
(Tithonian-Berriasian), found in Riodeva (Teruel, Spain), is described in 
this work. Its main characters are a transverse process deep, extending from 
the centrum to the neural arch, centra procoelus without condyle, centre 
with absence of spongy bone texture and lack of pleurocoels. The principal 
character is the cranio-caudal compression. This vertebra is similar to an 
isolated vertebra reported in the Cognac region (France) and to the 
vertebrae of both Cetiosauriscus greppini and Cetiosauriscus stewarti. The 
four aforementioned taxa would constitute a new clade included in 
Omeisauridae + (Jobaria + Neosauropoda).



Luque, L., Cobos, A., Royo-Torres, R., Espílez, E., and Alcalá, L. 2005. 
Caracterización de los depósitos sedimentarios con dinosaurios de Riodeva 
(Teruel). Geogaceta 38:27-30.

ABSTRACT: Recent discoveries of dinosaur fossils in Riodeva led us to carry 
out a systematic study of the geology of the area. The 
calcareous-siliciclastic facies rich in fossil bones are attributed to the 
Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian-Berriasian). These transitional 
facies have been divided into three different units; A) Marine-influenced 
siliceous-calcareous deposits, spanning 50 m., conformable over the 
underlying calcareous Jurassic marine unit, B) A 170 m detritical alluvial 
unit, including more than 35 recorded dinosaur sites (Royo-Torres y Cobos, 
2004), and C) A 15-0 m detritical-calcareous unit unconformable below the 
erosive overlying formation (Arenas y Arcillas del Collado Formation). We 
also suggest a chronological explanation for taxonomical divergences between 
dinosaur sites previously attributed to Arenas y Arcillas del Collado 
formation.



Infante, P., Canudo, J.I., and Ruiz-Omeñaca, J.I. 2005. Primera evidencia de 
dinosaurios terópodos en la Formación Mirambel (Barremiense Inferior, 
Cretácico Inferior) en Castellote, Teruel. Geogaceta 38:31-34.

ABSTRACT: 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 
non-carcharodontosaurid 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 Range.



Pereda Suberbiola, X., Galton, P.M., Ruiz-Omeñaca, J.I., and Canudo, J.I. 
2005. Dermal spines of stegosaurian dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous 
(Hauterivian-Barremian) of Galve (Teruel, Aragón, Spain). Geogaceta 
38:35-38.

ABSTRACT: Se describen restos de dinosaurios estegosaurios en el Cretácico 
Inferior (facies «Weald») de la región de Galve (Teruel). El material 
consiste en dos espinas dérmicas aisladas: una espina pequeña y delgada 
procedente de la localidad de La Canaleta (Formación El Castellar, 
Hauteriviense terminal) y la base de una robusta espina caudal del 
yacimiento de Barranco Espina (Formación Camarillas, Barremiense inferior). 
Los fósiles descubiertos en Galve se asignan a Stegosauria indet. y son los 
primeros elementos dermatoesqueléticos de estegosaurios (y de tireóforos) 
descritos en Aragón. Además, las espinas de Galve son unos de los escasos 
restos de estegosaurios descubiertos en el Cretácico Inferior de Europa y 
del mundo.


Canudo, J.I., Aurell, M., Barco, J.L., Cuenca-Bescós, G., and Ruiz-Omeñaca, 
J.I. 2005. Los dinosaurios de la Formación Villar del Arzobispo (Titónico 
Medio-Berriasiense Inferior) en Galve (Teruel). Geogaceta 38:39-42.

ABSTRACT: The association of dinosaurs of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation 
in Galve (Teruel, Aragon, Spain) represents a «jurassic association» by the 
abundance of primitive clades like basal neosauropods and the scarcity of 
ornithopods. This fact could indicate the persistence of the Jurassic 
dinosaur faunas in this part of Laurasia, at least up to the Berriasian. 
Anyway the absence of stegosaurians could be interpreted as the first 
evidence of the turnover that would come in the Cretaceous faunas. Our data 
indicate that the climatic change did not suddenly affected to the dinosaurs 
of the Tethyan province. On the contrary, the turnover to the modern faunas 
took place gradually at least during the Berriasian.



Ruiz-Omeñaca, J.I., and Canudo, J.I. 2005. "Pleurocoelus" valdensis 
Lydekker, 1889 (Saurischia, Sauropoda) en el Cretácico Inferior 
(Barremiense) de la Península Ibérica. Geogaceta 38:43-46.

ABSTRACT: 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 Pleurocoelus valdensis 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 sauropods.



Cruzado-Caballero, P., Canudo, J.I., and Ruiz-Omeñaca, J.I. 2005. Nuevas 
evidencias de la presencia de hadrosaurios lambeosaurinos (Dinosauria) en el 
Maastrichtiense Superior de la Península Ibérica (Arén, Huesca). Geogaceta 
38:47-50.

ABSTRACT: 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 
Cretaceous.



Murelaga, X., and Canudo, J.I. 2005. Descripción de los restos de quelonios 
del Maastrichtiense Superior de Aren y Serraduy (Huesca). Geogaceta 
38:51-54.

ABSTRACT: Chelonian plates from the uppermost Maastrichtian of the Huesca 
Province are described. The remains have been found in the transitional and 
fluvial Tremp Group. The bothremydid turtle plates are well preserved and 
represent the most abundant elements. Only one eroded plate fragment of the 
solemydid turtle has been discovered. This difference is possibly due to 
tafonomic factors, but does not discard that the solmydids ones were more 
scarce because it was a group in decrease at end of Cretaceous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jerry D. Harris
Director of Paleontology
Dixie State College
Science Building
225 South 700 East
St. George, UT  84770   USA
Phone: (435) 652-7758
Fax: (435) 656-4022
E-mail: jharris@dixie.edu
and     dinogami@gmail.com
http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/

"Actually, it's a bacteria-run planet, but
mammals are better at public relations."
                                     -- Dave Unwin