The last non-avian theropods of Europe : Palaeoecology and biogeography inferred from dental records from the uppermost Maastrichtian of Catalonia, Spain
Castillo-Visa, Oscar (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Baiano, Mattia Antonio (Universidad Nacional de Río Negro)
Brusatte, Stephen L. (University of Edinburgh)
Galobart, Àngel (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Vila, Bernat (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Non-avian theropods were essential components of terrestrial ecosystems during the Mesozoic, were highly diverse in size and lifestyles across different regions of the planet. Here we assess the composition and diversity of the theropod fauna of the Ibero-Armorican island (the ancient region that encompassed present-day areas of Spain, Portugal, and France) during the final few hundred thousand years of the Cretaceous, by reviewing the theropod teeth assemblage from the locality of Molí del Baró-1 (upper Maastrichtian, C29r, Catalonia, Spain). Our study indicates a diverse fauna of small non-avian theropods with different feeding strategies and ecological niches. The tooth assemblage is significantly more diverse than previously thought and includes dental elements referred to dromaeosaurines, velociraptorines, troodontids, and an undetermined Dromaeosauridae tooth with similarities to microraptorines, as well as previously-referred teeth of cf. ?Richardoestesia and aff. Paronychodon. Microwear analysis reveals diverse feeding styles among these theropods, and particularly indicates that the troodontid had an omnivorous diet heavy in plant consumption. The assemblage of small-sized non-avian theropods and medium-to large-sized abelisaurids from the uppermost Maastrichtian of Ibero-Armorica differs from others from the European archipelago and worldwide, illustrating the high regional variability of theropod faunas around the time the asteroid impact ended the Cretaceous.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-119811GB-I00 Generalitat de Catalunya ARQ001SOL-173-2022 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-01192
Note:	Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/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, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Upper Cretaceous ; Theropod palaeoecology ; Systematics ; Palaeobiogeography ; Tooth microwear
Published in:	Cretaceous research, Vol. 176 (December 2025) , art. 106199, ISSN 1095-998X

DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106199

28 p, 1.9 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)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles