Villalba de la Sierra Formation

Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Stratigraphic range: Campanian-Maastrichtian ~84–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Excavation of a titanosaur at Lo Hueco
Type	Geological formation
Lithology
Primary	Mudstone
Other	Sandstone, gypsum
Location
Coordinates	40.0°N 2.0°W / 40.0; -2.0
Approximate paleocoordinates	30.7°N 0.6°W / 30.7; -0.6
Region	Castilla-La Mancha
Country	Spain
Extent	Iberian Ranges
Type section
Named for	Villalba de la Sierra
Villalba de la Sierra Formation (Spain)

The Villalba de la Sierra Formation is a Campanian to Maastrichtian geologic formation in Spain. Fossil dinosaur eggs have been reported from the formation, that comprises gypsiferous, grey, argillaceous mudstones and sandstones, deposited in a floodplain environment[1][2] characterised by high seasonality and variability in water availability.[3]

Fossil content

Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon		Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Dinosaur

Sauropods

Sauropods of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Lohuecotitan[4]	L. pandafilandi	Lo Hueco.	A disarticulated partial skeleton	A titanosaurian sauropod
Qunkasaura[5]	Q. pintiquiniestra	Lo Hueco.	A partial skeleton belonging to a single individual.	A opisthocoelicaudiine saltasaurid; closely related to Abditosaurus kuehnei.

Theropods

Theropods of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Abelisauridae Indet.[6]	Indeterminate	Poyos	Teeth, Cranial and Postcranial Elements	A abelisaurid theropod; closely relaed to Arcovenator escotae.

Reptiles

Crocodiles

Crocodiles of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Agaresuchus[7]	A. fontisensis			A allodaposuchid eusuchian
Lohuecosuchus[8]	L. megadontos			A allodaposuchid eusuchian
Musturzabalsuchus	M. sp			A allodaposuchid eusuchian

Turtles

Turtles of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Foxemys[9]	F. mechinorum			A bothremydid side-necked turtle
Iberoccitanemys[10]	I. convenarum			A bothremydid side-necked turtle

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
  • List of stratigraphic units with few dinosaur genera
    • Dinosaur eggs

References

1. Lo Hueco, Fuentes (G1) at Fossilworks.org
2. Weishampel et al., 2004, pp.517-607
3. Peyrot, Daniel; Barroso-Barcenilla, Fernando; Cambra-Moo, Oscar (1 October 2013). "Paleoecology of the late Campanian/early Maastrichtian Fossil-Lagerstätte of "Lo Hueco" (Cuenca, Spain): Palynological insights". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 387: 27–39. Bibcode:2013PPP...387...27P. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.07.005. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
4. V. Díez Díaz; P. Mocho; A. Páramo; F. Escaso; F. Marcos-Fernández; J.L. Sanz; F. Ortega (2016). "A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain)". Cretaceous Research. 68: 49–60. Bibcode:2016CrRes..68...49D. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.08.001.
5. Mocho, P.; Escaso, F.; Marcos-Fernández, F.; Páramo, A.; Sanz, J. L.; Vidal, D.; Ortega, F. (2024). "A Spanish saltasauroid titanosaur reveals Europe as a melting pot of endemic and immigrant sauropods in the Late Cretaceous". Communications Biology. 7. 1016. doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06653-0. PMC 11375222. PMID 39232208.
6. Malafaia, E.; Escaso, F.; Coria, R. A.; Pérez-García, A.; Ortega, F. (2024). "Theropod teeth from the Upper Cretaceous of central Spain: assessing the paleobiogeographic history of European abelisaurids". Cretaceous Research. 106072. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106072.
7. I. Narváez; C.A. Brochu; F. Escaso; A. Pérez-García; F. Ortega (2016). "New Spanish Late Cretaceous eusuchian reveals the synchronic and sympatric presence of two allodaposuchids". Cretaceous Research. 65: 112–125. Bibcode:2016CrRes..65..112N. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.04.018.
8. Iván Narváez; Christopher A. Brochu; Fernando Escaso; Adán Pérez-García; Francisco Ortega (2015). "New Crocodyliforms from Southwestern Europe and Definition of a Diverse Clade of European Late Cretaceous Basal Eusuchians". PLOS ONE. 10 (11): e0140679. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1040679N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140679. PMC 4633049. PMID 26535893.
9. Tong, Haiyan; Eugene S Gaffney; Eric Buffetaut (1998). "Foxemys, a new side-necked turtle (Bothremydidae, Pelomedusoides) from the late Cretaceous of France". American Museum Novitates (3251): 1–19. hdl:2246/3157. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
10. Adán Pérez-García; Francisco Ortega; Xabier Murelaga (2012). "A new genus of Bothremydidae (Chelonii, Pleurodira) in the Cretaceous of Southwestern Europe". Geobios. 45 (2): 219–229. Bibcode:2012Geobi..45..219P. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2011.03.001.

Bibliography

• Díez Díaz, V.; Mocho, P.; Páramo, A.; Escaso, F.; Marcos-Fernández, F.; Sanz, J.L.; Ortega, F. (2016). "A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain)". Cretaceous Research. 68: 49–60. Bibcode:2016CrRes..68...49D. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.08.001.
• Ortega, F.; Bardet, N.; Barroso-Barcenilla, F.; Callapez, P.M.; Cambra-Moo, O.; Daviero- Gómez, V.; Díez Díaz, V.; Domingo, L.; Elvira, A.; Escaso, F.; García-Oliva, M.; Gómez, B.; Houssaye, A.; Knoll, F.; Marcos-Fernández, F.; Martín, M.; Mocho, P.; Narváez, I.; Pérez- García, A.; Peyrot, D.; Segura, M.; Serrano, H.; Torices, A.; Vidal, D.; Sanz, J.L. (2015). "The biota of the Upper Cretaceous site of "Lo Hueco" (Cuenca, Spain)". Journal of Iberian Geology. 41 (1). doi:10.5209/rev_JIGE.2015.v41.n1.48657. hdl:10486/675918.
• Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka, eds. (2004). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 1–880. ISBN 0-520-24209-2. Retrieved 2019-02-21.