Morelladon y otros dinosaurios estiracosternos en las VII Jornadas de Salas de los Infantes

Uno de los grupos de dinosaurios más diverso y abundante durante el Cretácico Inferior, al menos en estos rincones de la Europa occidental, fueron también protagonistas en las VII Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su Entorno delebradas hace unos días en la localidad burgalesa de Salas de los Infantes. A través de una ponencia se abordó una puesta al día de la diversidad de ornitópodos estiracosternos (Iguanodon, Morelladon y Mantellisaurus) presentes en la Formación arcillas de Morella y hallados en la cantera del Mas de la Parreta

Aquí os dejamos un pequeño resumen:

Styracosterna is a monophyletic clade of medium to large bodied, quadrupedal, plant‐eating ornithopod dinosaurs that lived in both Gondwana and Laurasia and with a fossil record that extends throughout the Cretaceous. Most of the basal representatives of this clade, the nonhadrosauriform styracosternans, are known from different localities along the European continent. Currently seven genera and eight species of styracosternans are recognized from several Lower Cretaceous European formations [...]
[...] A recent re‐evaluation of the styracosternans of the Arcillas de Morella Formation at Morella locality indicates a higher diversity than historically known. Thus, the styracosternans species recognized are Iguanodon bernissartensis, Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis and the recently described Morelladon beltrani. Among this species, remains of Iguanodon bernissartensis are the most amply represented throughout different localities of the Formation. Remains of the other two styracosternans species are less abundant and restricted to single individuals. Finally, the species newly described, M. beltrani, provides a distinguishing component of the Arcillas de Morella Formation respect to its equivalent upper Wealden facies from northwest Europe Belgium and England), also characterized by the presence of Iguanodon bernissartensis and Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis.

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Más información:

• Referencia: Gasulla, J.M., Escaso, F., Narváez, I., Ortega, F., Sanz, J.L. 2016. An update of the styracosternan diversity from the upper Barremian Arcillas de Morella Formation at Morella (Castellón, Spain). In: Torcida Fernández-Baldor, F., Canudo, J.I., Huerta, P., Pereda, X. (eds.) Abstracts book of the VII International Symposium about Dinosaurs Palaeontology and their Environment, 75-76.