“…The specimen studied in this work was found in a limestone layer from the lower part of the Middle Blesa sequence, known as Morenillo member. Even though most of the Blesa Formation is deposited in a continental environment with abundant terrestrial tetrapod remains, the Middle Blesa sequence was deposited in a coastal environment rich in marine fossils as mollusc bivalves, but where isolated remains of actinopterygians, chondrichthyans, chelonian plates, teeth and cranial and postcranial elements of crocodylomorphs are also found 13,15 , as well as teeth and vertebral centra belonging to plesiosaurs 16 .Figure 1Geographical and geological location of the Los Quiñones site in the Blesa Formation. ( A ) Geological map of the Iberian Peninsula; ( B ) Location of the paleogeographical sub-basins within the Maestrazgo Basin; and ( C ) location of the Los Quiñones site close to the village of Obón (modified from 14 ).…”
The pterosaur record from the Iberian Peninsula is mostly scarce and undefined, but in the last few years some new taxa have been described from different Lower Cretaceous sites of Spain. Here we describe a new genus and species of toothed pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian of the Iberian Peninsula, Iberodactylus andreui gen. et sp. nov., that shows a close and rather unexpected relationship with Hamipterus tianshanensis from China. A review of the phylogenetic relationships of the Anhangueria reveals a new family of pterodactyloid pterosaurs, the Hamipteridae fam. nov. being recovered as sister-group of the Anhangueridae. This latter clade can be in turn divided into the new clades Anhanguerinae and Coloborhynchinae. The close relationships of Iberodactylus and Hamipterus shows an interesting palaeobiogeographical correlation between the Chinese and Iberian pterosaur faunas during the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous). The discovery of Iberodactylus strongly suggests that the clade Anhangueria has clear ancestral ties in eastern Laurasia.
“…The specimen studied in this work was found in a limestone layer from the lower part of the Middle Blesa sequence, known as Morenillo member. Even though most of the Blesa Formation is deposited in a continental environment with abundant terrestrial tetrapod remains, the Middle Blesa sequence was deposited in a coastal environment rich in marine fossils as mollusc bivalves, but where isolated remains of actinopterygians, chondrichthyans, chelonian plates, teeth and cranial and postcranial elements of crocodylomorphs are also found 13,15 , as well as teeth and vertebral centra belonging to plesiosaurs 16 .Figure 1Geographical and geological location of the Los Quiñones site in the Blesa Formation. ( A ) Geological map of the Iberian Peninsula; ( B ) Location of the paleogeographical sub-basins within the Maestrazgo Basin; and ( C ) location of the Los Quiñones site close to the village of Obón (modified from 14 ).…”
The pterosaur record from the Iberian Peninsula is mostly scarce and undefined, but in the last few years some new taxa have been described from different Lower Cretaceous sites of Spain. Here we describe a new genus and species of toothed pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian of the Iberian Peninsula, Iberodactylus andreui gen. et sp. nov., that shows a close and rather unexpected relationship with Hamipterus tianshanensis from China. A review of the phylogenetic relationships of the Anhangueria reveals a new family of pterodactyloid pterosaurs, the Hamipteridae fam. nov. being recovered as sister-group of the Anhangueridae. This latter clade can be in turn divided into the new clades Anhanguerinae and Coloborhynchinae. The close relationships of Iberodactylus and Hamipterus shows an interesting palaeobiogeographical correlation between the Chinese and Iberian pterosaur faunas during the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous). The discovery of Iberodactylus strongly suggests that the clade Anhangueria has clear ancestral ties in eastern Laurasia.
“…2, specimens F and G) too, but these are not sufficiently well preserved to provide an unambiguous statement. These holes may be reminiscent to the notochordal pits that often occur in cervical vertebrae of plesiosaurs (see, e.g., Lazo & Cichowolski, 2003, Parrilla-Bel & Canudo, 2015, Sachs et al, 2017).…”
Described in 1858, Trematospondylus macrocephalus is one of the earliest established plesiosaur taxa. However, despite being historically significant, the taxon disappeared from the literature shortly after its initial description and has not been mentioned for over a century. Thus, it has never been properly assessed. The holotype comprises seven vertebrae, including a supposed sacral vertebra and caudal vertebrae. The specimens were collected from the Lochen mountain massif near Balingen in southwestern Germany and derive from the Dentalienton Formation. As such, they are most likely early Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) in age. Here, we provide a thorough redescription of the material, illustrate it, and assess its phylogenetic affinities through a parsimony analysis. Our results show that T. macrocephalus shares characters with members of the Rhomaleosauridae, including, for example, the length-height ratio of the caudal centra as well as the placement of caudal ribs and hemapophyseal facets. Rhomaleosaurid affinities of the material are likewise supported by our phylogenetic analysis. Comparisons further indicate that the taxon belonged to large-bodied members of the clade, with a body length similar to that of Rhomaleosaurus. Even though the material does not enable Trematospondylus to be properly diagnosed, thus making it a nomen dubium, it still adds to the rare Middle Jurassic record of rhomaleosaurid plesiosaurs. At the same time, it enhances our knowledge of the plesiosaur taxic diversity during the pre-Callovian Middle Jurassic, which has been very limited.
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