First record of fossil sauropterygians from the Upper Triassic of Southwestern Spain (Ayamonte, provincia de Huelva)

This work reports the first record of a sauropterygian reptile remain from the uppermost Triassic of the westernmost part of the South Iberian Palaeomargin. The fossil bone, found in the Upper Triassic carbonate succession of Ayamonte (Huelva, Spain), corresponds to a neural arch of a sauropterygian...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Reolid, Matías, Muñiz, Fernando, Toscano, Antonio, Belaústegui Barahona, Zain
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/219224
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/219224
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Triàsic
Rèptils fòssils
Fàcies (Geologia)
Vertebrats fòssils
Ayamonte (Andalusia)
Triassic Period
Fossil reptiles
Facies (Geology)
Fossil vertebrates
Descripción
Sumario:This work reports the first record of a sauropterygian reptile remain from the uppermost Triassic of the westernmost part of the South Iberian Palaeomargin. The fossil bone, found in the Upper Triassic carbonate succession of Ayamonte (Huelva, Spain), corresponds to a neural arch of a sauropterygian. The carbonate succession was deposited in very shallow marine environment simultaneous with igneous activity during the Rhaetian (latest Triassic). The studied remain is isolated, disarticulated and presents fractures that evidence transport but also potential activity of scavengers. The neural arch is preserved as calcium phosphate enriched in some elements (e.g. Sr) relative to the surrounding carbonate sediment. The anatomic features do not allow a detailed taxonomic identification. This remain extends the record of sauropterygians to the westernmost end of the Tethys following the South Iberian Palaeomargin and evidences the colonization of the Algarve Basin during the extensional phase related with the progress of the rifting of Pangaea and the opening of the Tethys to the west.