INVESTIGADORES
FERNANDEZ Mariela Soledad
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Preliminary study of an Upper Cretaceous archosaurian faunal association based on a microsite at Cerro Fortaleza (Mata Amarilla Formation), Santa Cruz, Argentina
Autor/es:
ARIANA PAULINA CARABAJAL; ARIELA MENDEZ; FRANCISCO BARRIOS; YUONG-NAM LEE; MARIELA SOLEDAD FERNÁNDEZ; MAGALÍ CÁRDENAS
Lugar:
Mar Chiquita
Reunión:
Jornada; 31º Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontologia de Vertebrados; 2017
Institución organizadora:
Museo Municipal de Ciencias Naturales del partido de Mar Chiquita
Resumen:
A few number of dinosaur taxa are known from the Mata Amarilla Formation (Cenomaniano-Santoniano), including the theropod Orkoraptor, the ornithopod Talenkauen and the titanosaurids Puertasaurus and Dreadnoughtus, being the later the only species found in the locality of Cerro Fortaleza, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The microsite at Cerro Fortaleza is approximately at the mid-section of Mata Amarilla Formation. It is not markedly rich and most specimens are fractured and eroded, including dinosaur, crocodile and fish teeth. Complete and fragmented teeth belonging to three groups of dinosaurs (theropod, sauropod and ornitischian) and one group of crocodilians were recognized. The theropod tooth is small, ziphodont and has serrated distal and mesial carinae (Abelisauridae?). Other fragmented theropod teeth are large and have strong marked wrinkled enamel (spinosaurid?). The sauropod tooth is incomplete and corresponds to a section of a pencil-like element, oval in section, characteristic of titanosaurids. The ornitischian tooth is small and leaf-shaped, with serrations in both sides, reminiscent of the morphology present in ankylosaurids and basal ornithopods. Its morphology slightly differs from that described for Talenkauen, suggesting the presence of a different form. Finally, the crocodilian teeth correspond to peirosaurid serrated caniniforms and molariforms. Peirosaurids are identified here by the first time for the Mata Amarilla Formation.