Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T06:53:47.809Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An articulated hindlimb of a basal iguanodont (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda) from the Early Cretaceous Las Hoyas Lagerstätte (Spain)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2013

MERCEDES LLANDRES SERRANO
Affiliation:
Unidad de Paleontología, Departamento de Biología, Calle Darwin, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
ROMAIN VULLO*
Affiliation:
Université de Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6118, Campus de Beaulieu, 263 avenue du général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes, France
JESÚS MARUGÁN-LOBÓN
Affiliation:
Unidad de Paleontología, Departamento de Biología, Calle Darwin, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
FRANCISCO ORTEGA
Affiliation:
Grupo de Biología, Faculdad de Ciencias, UNED, Calle Senda del Rey 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
ÁNGELA D. BUSCALIONI
Affiliation:
Unidad de Paleontología, Departamento de Biología, Calle Darwin, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
*
Author for correspondence: romain.vullo@univ-rennes1.fr

Abstract

An isolated, fully articulated hindlimb of a basal iguanodont from the Spanish Las Hoyas Lagerstätte is described. It probably belonged to a juvenile or subadult individual. Despite some slight differences, anatomical features, as well as the late Barremian age of this specimen, would suggest that it belongs to Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis. The exquisite preservation of this specimen provides information on the foot anatomy of basal iguanodonts. This is the first report of a non-theropod dinosaur from Las Hoyas. From a palaeoecological point of view, this discovery indicates that potential prey of the carcharodontosaurian theropod Concavenator were present at Las Hoyas, thus complementing our knowledge of the trophic structure of this Early Cretaceous palaeocommunity.

Type
Rapid Communication
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bailleul, A., Ségalen, L., Buscalioni, A. D., Cambra-Moo, O. & Cubo, J. 2011. Paleohistology and preservation of tetrapods from Las Hoyas (Lower Cretaceous, Spain). Comptes Rendus Palevol 10, 367–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Briggs, D. E. G., Wilby, P. R., Pérez-Moreno, B. P., Sanz, J. L. & Fregenal-Martínez, M. 1997. The mineralization of dinosaur soft-tissue in the Lower Cretaceous of Las Hoyas. Journal of the Geological Society 154, 587–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buscalioni, A. D. & Fregenal-Martínez, M. A. 2006. Archosaurian size bias in Jurassic and Cretaceous freshwater ecosystems. In 9th Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota, Manchester (eds Barrett, P.M. & Evans, S.), pp. 912.Google Scholar
Buscalioni, A. D. & Fregenal-Martínez, M. A. 2010. A holistic approach to the palaeoecology of Las Hoyas Konservat-Lagerstätte (La Huérguina Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Iberian Ranges, Spain). Journal of Iberian Geology 36, 297326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buscalioni, A. D., Fregenal, M. A., Bravo, A., Poyato-Ariza, F. J., Sanchíz, B., Báez, A. M., Cambra-Moo, O., Martín-Closas, C., Evans, S. E. & Marugán-Lobón, J. 2008. The vertebrate assemblage of Buenache de la Sierra (Upper Barremian of Serrania de Cuenca, Spain) with insights into its taphonomy and palaeoecology. Cretaceous Research 29, 687710.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carpenter, K. & Ishida, Y. 2010. Early and “Middle” Cretaceous iguanodonts in time and space. Journal of Iberian Geology 36, 145–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Escaso, F., Sanz, J. L. & Ortega, F. 2005. Un Konservat-Lagerstätte del Cretácico Inferior de Europa: Las Hoyas. Boletín de la Real Sociedad Española de Historia Natural (Sección Geológica) 100, 221–33.Google Scholar
Fregenal-Martínez, M. A. & Meléndez, N. 2000. The lacustrine fossiliferous deposits of the Las Hoyas subbasin (Lower Cretaceous, Serranía de Cuenca, Iberian ranges, Spain). In Lake Basins Through Space and Time (eds Gierlowski-Kordesch, E. H. & Kelts, K. R.), pp. 303–13. AAPG Studies in Geology vol. 46.Google Scholar
Galton, P. M. 2009. Notes on Neocomian (Lower Cretaceous) ornithopod dinosaurs from England – Hypsilophodon, Valdosaurus, “Camptosaurus”, “Iguanodon” – and referred specimens from Romania and elsewhere. Revue de Paléobiologie 28, 211–73.Google Scholar
Gomez, B., Martín-Closas, C., Méon, H., Thévenard, F., Barale, G. 2001. Plant taphonomy and palaeoecology in the lacustrine Uña delta (Late Barremian, Iberian Ranges, Spain). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 170, 133–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gupta, N., Cambra-Moo, O., Briggs, D. E. G., Love, G. D., Fregenal-Martínez, M. & Summons, R. E. 2008. Molecular taphonomy of macrofossils from the Cretaceous Las Hoyas Formation, Spain. Cretaceous Research 29, 18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holz, M. & Barberena, M. C. 1994. Taphonomy of the south Brazilian Triassic paleoherpetofauna: pattern of death, transport and burial. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 107, 179–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hooley, R. W. 1925. On the skeleton of Iguanodon atherfieldensis sp. nov. from the Wealden shales of Atherfield (Isle of Wight). Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 81, 161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulke, J. W. 1882. Description of some Iguanodon-remains indicating a new species, I. Seelyi . Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 38, 135–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, T. 2000. Overview over the Guimarota ecosystem. In Guimarota – A Jurassic Ecosystem (eds Martin, T. & Krebs, B.), pp. 143–6. Verlag Dr Friedrich Pfeil.Google Scholar
Martin, V. & Buffetaut, E. 1992. Les Iguanodons (Ornithischia – Ornithopoda) du Crétacé inférieur de la région de Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne, France). Revue de Paléobiologie 11, 6796.Google Scholar
McDonald, A. T. 2012 a. Phylogeny of basal iguanodonts: an update. PLoS ONE 7, e36745.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDonald, A. T. 2012 b. The status of Dollodon and other basal iguanodonts (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. Cretaceous Research 33, 16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, A. T., Barrett, P. M. & Chapman, S. D. 2010. A new basal iguanodont (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Wealden (Lower Cretaceous) of England. Zootaxa 2569, 143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGowan, G. J. & Evans, S. E. 1995. Albanerpetontid amphibians from the Cretaceous of Spain. Nature 373, 143–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naish, D. & Martill, D. M. 2001. Ornithopod dinosaurs. In Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight (eds Batten, D. & Naish, D.), pp. 60132. The Palaeontological Association, Field Guides to Fossils no. 10.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. 1980. On the ornithischian dinosaur Iguanodon bernissartensis of Bernissart (Belgium). Mémoires de l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique 178, 1103.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. 1986. On the anatomy of Iguanodon atherfieldensis (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda). Bulletin de l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique 56, 281372.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. 1987. A mass-accumulation of vertebrates from the Lower Cretaceous of Nehden (Sauerland), West Germany. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 230, 215–55.Google ScholarPubMed
Norman, D. B. 2010. A taxonomy of iguanodontians (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the lower Wealden Group. Zootaxa 2489, 4766.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norman, D. B. 2011. Ornithopod dinosaurs. In English Wealden Fossils (ed. Batten, D.), pp. 407–75. The Palaeontological Association, Field Guides to Fossils no. 14.Google Scholar
Ortega, F., Escaso, F. & Sanz, J. L. 2010. A bizarre, humped Carcharodontosauria (Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain. Nature 467, 203–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Owen, R. 1858 a. A monograph on the fossil Reptilia of the Wealden and Purbeck formations. Supplement I. Dinosauria (Iguanodon). Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society 10 (43), 17. [published in 1858 for 1856]CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Owen, R. 1858 b. Note on the bones of the hind-foot of the Iguanodon, discovered and exhibited by S. H. Beckles, F.G.S. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 14, 174–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, G. S. 2007. Turning the old into the new: a separate genus for the gracile iguanodont from the Wealden of England. In Horns and Beaks: Ceratopsian and Ornithopod Dinosaurs (ed. Carpenter, K.), pp. 6977. Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Paul, G. S. 2008. A revised taxonomy of the iguanodont dinosaur genera and species. Cretaceous Research 29, 192216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pérez-Moreno, B. P., Sanz, J. L., Buscalioni, A. D., Moratalla, J. J., Ortega, F. & Rasskin-Gutman, D. 1994. A unique multitoothed ornithomimosaur dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain. Nature 370, 363–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruiz-Omeñaca, J. I. 2011. Delapparentia turolensis nov. gen. et sp., un nuevo dinosaurio iguanodontoideo (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda) en el Cretácico Inferior de Galve. Estudios Geológicos 67, 83110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruiz-Omeñaca, J. I., Canudo, J. I. & Cuenca-Bescós, G. 1998. Sobre las especies de Iguanodon (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) encontradas en el Cretácico inferior de España. Geogaceta 24, 275–7.Google Scholar
Salisbury, S. W., Frey, E., Martill, D. M. & Buchy, M.-C. 2003. A new crocodilian from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of north-eastern Brazil. Palaeontographica, Abteilung A 270, 347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanz, J. L., Fregenal-Martínez, M. A., Meléndez, N. & Ortega, F. 2001. Las Hoyas. In Palaeobiology II (eds Briggs, D. E. G. & Crowther, P. R.), pp. 356–9. Blackwell Science.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanz, J. L., Wenz, S., Yebenes, A., Estes, R., Martínez-Delclòs, X., Jimenez-Fuentes, E., Diéguez, C., Buscalioni, A. D., Barbadillo, L. J. & Via, L. 1988. An Early Cretaceous faunal and floral continental assemblage: Las Hoyas fossil site (Cuenca, Spain). Geobios 21, 611–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Valk, A. G. 2006. The Biology of Freshwater Wetlands. Oxford University Press, 173 pp.Google Scholar
Vullo, R., Buscalioni, A. D., Marugán-Lobón, J. & Moratalla, J. J. 2009. First pterosaur remains from the Early Cretaceous Lagerstätte of Las Hoyas, Spain: palaeoecological significance. Geological Magazine 146, 931–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vullo, R., Marugán-Lobón, J., Kellner, A. W. A., Buscalioni, A. D., Gomez, B., de la Fuente, M. & Moratalla, J. J. 2012. A new crested pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Spain: the first European tapejarid (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea). PLoS ONE 7, e38900.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed