20.7.18

Los cocodrilos del yacimiento cenomaniense de Algora en el XVI Annual Meeting de la EAVP


Entre los trabajos presentados por los integrantes del Grupo de Biología Evolutiva de la UNED en el reciente XVI Annual Meeting de la European Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists (EAVP), se encuentra esta comunicación acerca de los nuevos avances en el estudio de la fauna de crocodiliformes del Cenomaniense de Algora (alrededor de hace 90 millones de años). Los nuevos descubrimientos que han tenido lugar durante las últimas campañas, permiten hacernos una idea de la variabilidad de cocodrilos en este yacimiento de la provincia de Guadalajara, de gran importancia para conocer la transición de faunas entre el Cretácico Inferior y la parte terminal del Cretácico Superior. El resumen del trabajo es el siguiente:

The information regarding the crocodyliform faunas from the Lower and the uppermost Cretaceous of Europe is relatively abundant. Different clades integrated the continental faunas of crocodyliforms in both periods. Lower Cretaceous faunas were mainly composed by non-eusuchian members of Neosuchia, whereas the uppermost Cretaceous faunas were represented by non-crocodylian representatives of Eusuchia. The information relative to the European crocodyliforms present during the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous is remarkably limited. Therefore, the discovery of new material assignable to Crocodyliformes is essential in order to shed light on this faunal turnover.

In this context, the Spanish uppermost middle-lowermost upper Cenomanian site of Algora (Guadalajara, Central Spain) provides relevant information regarding this issue. This site has yielded numerous material assigned to Crocodyliformes, especially as a result of the latest fieldworks. These new remains comprise well-preserved and complete isolated cranial (e.g., ectopterygoid, exoccipital) and postcranial (e.g., rib, vertebrae) remains, including a dorsal vertebra, attributable to a member of Eusuchia. The detailed analysis of the crocodyliforms remains from Algora allows increasing the knowledge on the faunal association from this relevant Cenomanian fossil site.

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