INVESTIGADORES
FERNANDEZ Marta Susana
artículos
Título:
A JUVENILE PLESIOSAUR FROM THE PLIENSBACHIAN (LOWER JURASSIC) OF
Autor/es:
BARDET, N.;FERNÁNDEZ, M.; GARCIA RAMOS, JC, PIÑUELA, L., VINCENT, P. & PEREDA SUBERBIOLA, X.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Editorial:
SOC VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Referencias:
Año: 2008 p. 258 - 263
ISSN:
0272-4634
Resumen:
Quesada
et al., 1998 for a bibliography). Up to now, the plesiosaur
record of Spain consisted only of fragmentary remains coming
from the Jurassic of Asturias (Schulz, 1858; Ruiz-Omeñaca et al.,
2006) and the Cretaceous of the Basque Country and Castellón
(Bardet et al., 1999a; Yagüe et al., 2003).
The Asturias record includes (1) an historical nineteenth century
specimen (now lost)one of the oldest fossil reptiles from
Spainbriefly mentioned as part of a skeleton and paddles of a
plesiosaur, which largest vertebrae reach a diameter of 6 cm,
found in Lower Jurassic rocks (most probably Rodiles Formation,
Pliensbachian, J. C. G.-R. pers. obs.), between the localities
of El Puntal and Tazones in Villaviciosa (Schulz, 1858:108).
Unfortunately, no figure was provided and we have no definitive
certitude about the plesiosaurian affinities of this specimen.
(2) isolated remains from the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian-
Sinemurian; Gijón Formation) and Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian;
Tereñes Formation) of the same area (Ruiz-Omeñaca et al.,
2006).
Here we report on the discovery of an immature plesiosaur
from the Pliensbachian of Asturias. It is the most complete plesiosaur
specimen found in Spain, one of the very few juvenile
plesiosaurs known worldwide, and an additional specimen from
the very poor Pliensbachian fossil record.