terça-feira, 2 de agosto de 2016

Megalossáurideos do Jurásico Superior Português no XIV Meeting da EAVP



No mês passado decorreu o XIV Annual Meeting of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists (EAVP) em Haarlem (Holanda). Neste encontro houve a possibilidade de falar de dinossáurios terópodes provenientes do Jurásico Superior de Portugal, numa comunicação liderada pela paleontóloga Elisabete Malafaia (IDL/SHN). Os representantes do grupo Megalosáuridea são o principal alvo de este estudo. Estes correspondem às maiores formas de dinossáurios carnívoros presentes durante o Jurásico Superior Ibérico. Apesar de pouco abundantes, o registo conhecido revela uma existência cada vez mais consistente do género Torvosaurus.


The Portuguese record of Late Jurassic megalosaurids includes a set of cranial and postcranial elements traditionally interpreted as closely related to the North American species Torvosaurus tanneri, but more recently reinterpreted as a species so far exclusive of the Lusitanian Basin: T. gurneyi. Herein it is reported a set of unpublished axial and appendicular elements collected in Praia da Corva (Torres Vedras) that present a combination of shared characters with megalosaurid theropods including Torvosaurus and Megalosaurus. These remains, which show evidences of long weather exposure, were collected from surface along the cliff, in an area composed by upper Kimmeridgian sediments. Thus, and despite these elements present compatible morphology and size, it is not possible to determine if they belong to the same individual. The axial elements include three centra of posterior dorsal vertebrae, a fragment of the neural arch of a dorsal vertebra, and eight partial caudal vertebrae. Appendicular skeleton is represented by an almost complete left fibula and fragments of the tibial diaphysis. The general morphology of the dorsal centra is similar to that of Megalosaurus sharing a flat and transversely broad ventral surface. The great development of the pleurocoels is comparable with that of Torvosaurus, occupying almost the entire anteroposterior length of the lateral surface the centra. The caudal vertebrae present broad ventral grooves, a character sometimes considered as an autapomorphy of Ceratosaurus, but having a much wider distribution among theropods. These vertebrae share with Torvosaurus the wider than high articular facets and the presence of well-marked neurocentral depressions. The fibula is significantly more robust than those of any other known theropod from the Lusitanian Basin and more similar to Torvosaurus and to an indeterminate megalosauroid from the Tendaguru Formation. In summary, the specimens of Praia da Corva are assigned to Megalosauridae, with several elements suggesting a close relationship with Torvosaurus. Some distinct characters would be interpreted as autapormorphies of the skull-based species T. gurneyi or belonging to an unknown non-Torvosaurus megalosaurid taxon.
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 Referencia 
  • Malafaia E, Mocho P, Escaso F, Ortega F. 2016. New postcranial elements of megalosaurids (Dinosauria, Tetanurae) from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal, p 210. In: Holwerda F, Madern A, Voeten D, van Heteren A, Meijer H, den Ouden N (eds.), XIV Annual Meeting of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists, 6-10 July 2016, Haarlem, The Netherlands, Programme and Abstract Book Haarlem.

sábado, 28 de maio de 2016

Vertebrados do Cretácico Inferior de Papo Seco




No final de 2015 foi publicado na revista internacional Journal of Iberian Geology um novo trabalho sobre os vertebrados provenientes da Formação de Papo Seco, aflorante na península de Setúbal. Este trabalho, intitulado "Dinosaurs and other vertebrates from the Papo-Seco Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of southern Portugal" coloca em contexto sistemático toda uma série de novas ocorrências de peixes actinopterígeos, tartarugas, crocodilos, pterossaurios e dinossáurios.


Dente de Baryonyx sp. (Figueiredo et al., 2015)


Deixamos aqui o resumo:
"New vertebrate remains reported from the Papo-Seco Formation (Lower Barremian, Lower Cretaceous) of Areias do Mastro, in Cabo Espichel, SW Portugal, south of Lisbon. The marine, lagoonal, and estuarine limestones, marls, sands and gravels have yielded remains of dinosaurs and other reptiles since the 19th century. Recent paleontological prospecting produced several vertebrate remains, including turtle shell fragments, crocodilian teeth, fish and pterosaurs. Research identified both bones and teeth of fish, crocodiles, dinosaurs Baryonyx and iguanodontian, as well as a ctenochasmatoid pterosaur, and a possible ornithocheirid pterosaur. These new disclosures are an important contribution to the knowledge of vertebrate diversity from the Portuguese Cretaceous. Faunal species combination proven to be similar to other faunal associations of Barremian formations in the Iberian Peninsula."
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Referência. 

quarta-feira, 4 de maio de 2016

I IMERP - XIV EJIP 2016, Alpuente (Valencia, Espanha)



No passado mês de Abril realizou-se em Alpuente (Valencia, Espanha) a décima quarta edição do Encontro de Jovens Investigadores em Paleontologia (EJIP) e a primeira edição do International Meeting of Early-stage Researchers in Palaeontology (IMERP). Neste encontro foram apresentados vários trabalhos sobre registo fóssil português:

  • Caprichoso C, Sá AA, Legoinha P, Pereira S. 2016. Trilobites of the Devonian of Portugal – the state of the art. New perspectives on the Evolution of Phanerozoic Biotas and Ecosystems (XIV EJIP Abstract book),19
  • Colmenar J, Pereira S, Sá AA, Silva CM da. 2016. An Upper Ordovician benthic assemblage from the Cabeço Pedrogão locality (Central Iberian Zone, Portugal): biostratigraphical and palaeobiogeographical remarks. New perspectives on the Evolution of Phanerozoic Biotas and Ecosystems (XIV EJIP Abstract book), 23
  • Pereira S, Budil P, Pires M, Sá AA, Silva CM da. The genus Vysocania Vaněk & Vokáč (Trilobita, Ordovician) – a reappraisal. New perspectives on the Evolution of Phanerozoic Biotas and Ecosystems (XIV EJIP Abstract book), 36
  • Míguez-Salas O, Rodríguez-Tovar, FJ, Duarte LV. 2016. Thalassinoides-bearing deposits at the Jurassic (Lower Toarcian) of the Fonte Coberta section (NW, Portugal). New perspectives on the Evolution of Phanerozoic Biotas and Ecosystems (XIV EJIP Abstract book),64
  • Mocho P, Royo-Torres R, Ortega F. 2016. Late Jurassic sauropod teeth from the Lusitanian Basin. New perspectives on the Evolution of Phanerozoic Biotas and Ecosystems (XIV EJIP Abstract book), 68.
Para os interessados em descarregar o livro de comunicações: http://imerp-ejip2016.blogspot.com.es/2016/05/congress-publications-available.html

No final do encontro foi ainda aprovada a candidatura para organizar a XV EJIP em Pombal (Portugal).