A fast-growing basal troodontid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the latest Cretaceous of Europe
Sellés, Albert G. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Vila, Bernat (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Brusatte, Stephen L. (University of Edinburgh. School of GeoSciences)
Galobart, Àngel (University of Alberta, CW-405 Biological Sciences Building)

Date:	2021
Abstract:	A characteristic fauna of dinosaurs and other vertebrates inhabited the end-Cretaceous European archipelago, some of which were dwarves or had other unusual features likely related to their insular habitats. Little is known, however, about the contemporary theropod dinosaurs, as they are represented mostly by teeth or other fragmentary fossils. A new isolated theropod metatarsal II, from the latest Maastrichtian of Spain (within 200,000 years of the mass extinction) may represent a jinfengopterygine troodontid, the first reported from Europe. Comparisons with other theropods and phylogenetic analyses reveal an autapomorphic foramen that distinguishes it from all other troodontids, supporting its identification as a new genus and species, Tamarro insperatus. Bone histology shows that it was an actively growing subadult when it died but may have had a growth pattern in which it grew rapidly in early ontogeny and attained a subadult size quickly. We hypothesize that it could have migrated from Asia to reach the Ibero-Armorican island no later than Cenomanian or during the Maastrichtian dispersal events.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2016-76431-P Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2016-73230-P Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2017-82654-P Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-01666
Note:	Altres ajuts: "Xarxes paleocològiques dels jaciments de dinosaures del Cretaci català" ("Paleoecological networks of the dinosaur quarries of the Catalan Cretaceous") CLT/903/2018/67, funded by the Departament de Cultura of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Evolution ; Palaeontology ; Phylogenetics ; Taxonomy
Published in:	Scientific reports, Vol. 11 (2021) , art. 4855, ISSN 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83745-5
PMID: 33649418

Article 12 p, 10.5 MB

Material suplementari 98 p, 2.4 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
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Articles > Published articles