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The Iberian Triassic fossil record of Sauropterygia: an update

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Abstract

Members of the aquatic clade of reptiles Sauropterygia quickly evolved and diversified during the Triassic, acquiring different lifestyles and trophic roles with a cosmopolitan distribution. Although the first Triassic sauropterygian remains from the Iberian Peninsula were found more than a century ago, most of the relatively abundant recovered fossils have provided scarce taxonomic information. The finding of new fossil sites and taxa during the last decade, as well as the review of the previously known specimens, has allowed us to perform an update of the Iberian record of Triassic sauropterygians, a new faunal list being provided. All the major clades of Triassic sauropterygians are present in the Iberian Peninsula, including placodonts, pachypleurosaurs, pistosauroids and nothosauroids (i.e., simosaurids and nothosaurs). At least 13 different sauropterygian taxa are recognized here. The Iberian record of Triassic sauropterygians is composed by both endemic forms and species and genera also identified in other parts of the world, not only in some European regions, but also in the Middle East and China.

Resumen

Los reptiles acuáticos del clado Sauropterygia evolucionaron y se diversificaron rápidamente durante el Triásico, adquiriendo distintos modos de vida y nichos tróficos con una distribución cosmopolita. Aunque los primeros restos de sauropterigios triásicos de la península ibérica se descubrieron hace más de un siglo, la mayoría de estos fósiles relativamente abundantes han proporcionado escasa información taxonómica. El hallazgo de nuevos yacimientos y taxones durante la última década, así como la revisión de especímenes previamente conocidos, nos ha permitido llevar a cabo una puesta al día del registro ibérico de sauropterigios triásicos, proporcionando así un nuevo listado faunístico. Todos los principales clados de sauropterigios triásicos están presentes en la península ibérica, incluyendo placodontos, paquipleurosaurios, pistosauroideos y notosauroideos (i.e., simosáuridos y notosaurios). Se reconocen al menos 13 taxones diferentes de sauropterigios. El registro ibérico de sauropterigios triásicos está compuesto tanto por formas endémicas como por géneros y especies identificados en otras partes del planeta; no solo en algunas regiones europeas, sino también en Oriente Próximo y China.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sebastián Calzada (Museu Geològic del Seminari Conciliar de Barcelona); Marta March, Josep Fortuny and Arnau Bolet (Institut Català de Paleontologia); Susana Fraile (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid); Silvia Menéndez and María Victoria Quiralte (Museo Geominero de Madrid); María de la Concepción Herrero (Universidad Complutense de Madrid); and Rafael Royo, Alberto Cobos and Luis Alcalá (Fundación Dinópolis) for the access to the collections where some of the specimens discussed here have been studied. We thank José María Cazcarra (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid), Joan Cartanyà (Institut Català de Paleontologia), Ana Márquez-Aliaga (Universidad de Valencia) and Juan Quesada (UNED) for the photos of several fossil specimens used in this paper. We thank Dennis Voeten (Uppsala University) and Daniel Vidal (UNED) for the access to scientific literature. We thank the editors Janani Sargunam and Pedro Huerta and two anonymous reviewers for their comments, which have helped to improve this paper.

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  1. Grupo de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, UNED, Paseo Senda del Rey 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Carlos de Miguel Chaves, Francisco Ortega & Adán Pérez-García

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  1. Carlos de Miguel Chaves
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Correspondence to Carlos de Miguel Chaves.

Appendix

Appendix

Sauropterygian fossil taxa from the Triassic of the Iberian Peninsula recognized here:

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de Miguel Chaves, C., Ortega, F. & Pérez-García, A. The Iberian Triassic fossil record of Sauropterygia: an update. J Iber Geol 46, 445–464 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-020-00137-w

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