Dinosaurios del Cretácico inferior de Galve (Teruel, España)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to complete the study of the Dinosaur fauna of the syncline of Galve (Teruel, Spain). Most of the outcrops are Early Barremian in age. Nevertheless, the outcrop called Las Zabacheras could be Hauterivian and El Pelejón Hauterivian-Early Barremian in age. Theropod Dinosaurs are poorly represented. Three vertebral centra are described. They are identified as Theropoda indet. The several outcrops of Galve have yielded four forms of Sauropods. Three of them (cf. Astrodon sp., Camarasauridae indet., form A, Camarasauridae indet., form B) have been identified based on isolated teeth. The Sauropod from Las Zabacheras (Lapparent, 1960; Sanz, 1982) has been proposed as a new taxon, Aragosaurus ischiaticus n. gen. et n. sp. The material which the new taxon is based on are the bones studied by Lapparent (Museo de la Diputación de Teruel) and new ones: caudal vertebrae, chevrones, seapula, ilium, femur and autopodial material. After a research on evolutive polarity of some traits within the Sauropoda, the apomorphic character-states which define the new taxon are as follows: First caudal vertebrae with a great transversal development of the neuroapophysis (club-like), seapular blade terminally expansioned, with an intermediate development (for example between Cetiosaurs and Brachiosaurus or Rebbachisaurus). Great dorso-ventral development (acromio-glenoideus) of the anterior seapular zone (ratio miminal width of the seapular blade/maximal acromio-glenoideus height of 0.27). lliac process of ischium well developed. Pubic process of ischium with great dorso-ventral development (ratio antero-posterior length of this process/lenght of ischiadic contact with pubis, 0.63). Ischiadic process of ischium with a conspicuous final expansion. Lenght ratio humerus/femur 0.82. Lateral bulge just distal to the femoral greater trochanter. Medial condyle of femur relatively developed (ratio maximal antero-posterior diameter of medial condyle/maximal transversal distal femoral width of 0.77). The Aragosaurus taxonomic status is proposed within the family Camarasauridae (sensu Steel, 1970). The Ornithopoda described in this paper mainly belong to the family Hypsilophodontidae, except an isolated tooth identified as Ornithopoda indet. A proximal fragment of a left femur is identified as cf. Valdosaurus sp. Hypsilopbodon foxii has been identified based on a left femur and an ilium.