An analysis of the first fossil remains of styracosternan ornithopod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of La Rioja (Spain) and its paleobiogeographical implications
La Rioja, located in the eastern sector of the Cameros Basin, has one of the highest concentrations of Lower Cretaceous dinosaur ichnites in the Iberian Peninsula. However, the skeletal remains of these animals are scarce and only the presence of carcharodontosaurid and spinosaurid theropods in the...
| Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) |
| Repository: | Docta Complutense |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/131174 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131174 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | 56:598.192(460.21)"622.62" Early Cretaceous Cameros Basin Paleobiogeography Dinosauria Ornithopoda Styracosterna Paleontología 2416 Paleontología |
| Summary: | La Rioja, located in the eastern sector of the Cameros Basin, has one of the highest concentrations of Lower Cretaceous dinosaur ichnites in the Iberian Peninsula. However, the skeletal remains of these animals are scarce and only the presence of carcharodontosaurid and spinosaurid theropods in the Enciso Group and hypsilophodontid ornithopods in the Oliván Group are known. This paper describes and analyses fossil remains found at the El Horcajo site from the Oncala or Enciso Group and attributes them to styracosternan ornithopod dinosaurs. If confirmed, these results suggest that these are the earliest styracosternan remains from the Cameros Basin and from other Lower Cretaceous deposits from the Iberian Peninsula, indicating this group inhabited the Iberian Peninsula 7.2 million years before previously acknowledged. |
|---|