Sobre la presencia de un gran dinosaurio carnívoro en el Cretácico Inferior de Teruel

En un trabajo liderado por el aragosaurero J.M. Gasca acabamos de describir un fragmento distal de fémur de un gran dinosaurio carnívoro que hemos incluido en Carcharodontosauria. El fósil proviene del Cretácico Inferior de Ladruñan (Teruel) y documenta la presencia de estos grandes terópodos en la Formación Mirambel (Barremiense inferior). Por el momento no hemos encontrado más restos, pero seguro que es cuestión de tiempo.

Los carcharodontosaurios son un grupo de grandes tetanuros en los que se encuentran algunos de los más grandes terópodos como Carcharodontosaurus (norte de África) y Giganotosaurus (Argentina). Todos ellos no son gigantescos, por ejemplo recientemente se ha publicado uno de menor tamaño en el Cretácico Inferior de Cuenca, que nuestros colegas madrileños lo denominaron como Concavenator.

El nuevo resto se encontraba depositado en el Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad de Zaragoza, pero nunca había sido estudiado, ni citado en revistas científicas. La revisión que está haciendo José Manuel para su tesis permitió descubrir que presentaba caracteres morfológicos que lo acercaba a Acrocanthosaurus, un carcharodontosaurio del Cretácico Inferior de Norteamérica. El fósil de la Formación Mirambel es demasiado fragmentario para clasificarlo en detalle, pero permite documentar la presencia de tres grandes dinosaurios carnívoros en el Barremiense ibérico. Anteriormente se ha documentado la presencia de espinosaurios y ceratosaurios también en el Barremiense de Teruel.

Es una línea de trabajo que acaba de empezar, lo primero que debemos encontrar son ejemplares que permitan clasificar a este gran terópodo, presenta afinidades con faunas norteamericanas, o con faunas gondwánicas… o por el contrario forma parte de una línea endémica ibérica.  Os iremos contando.

La referencia de la publicación es: Gasca, J.M., Canudo, J.I., Moreno-Azanza, M. 2014. A Large-Bodied Theropod (Tetanurae: Carcharodontosauria) from the Mirambel Formation (Barremian) of Spain. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen, 273/1, 13-23.


El resumen original es el siguiente.

We describe an isolated distal femur of a large-sized theropod dinosaur from the Mirambel Formation, Teruel province, Spain. It comes from the Ladruñán-3 fossil locality, which represents a sandstone channel deposit that is early Barremian (Early Cretaceous) in age. This femur can be identified as belonging to an undetermined stem carcharodontosaurid allosauroid. The distal outline is similar to that of the basal carcharodontosaurid Acrocanthosaurus, which bears a ridge for the cruciate ligaments in the flexor groove and a deep but narrow extensor groove. This new Carcharodontosaurid remnant extends the presence of this large-bodied theropod lineage in the Iberian Peninsula back to the early Barremian. The coexistence of carcharodontosaurids, ceratosaurians and spinosaurids in the Barremian of the Iberian Peninsula echoes the clade composition of large-bodied predator dinosaurs characteristic of other Early Cretaceous faunas in Gondwana. This suggests that Early Cretaceous Iberian ecosystems were as diverse as other Barremian European assemblages, with carcharodontosaurids being exclusive to Iberia.

Assistant Professor - Plant Science - Stockholm University

Assistant Professor - Plant Science - Plant Phylogeography

Stockholm University · Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

Subject description: The subject involves the study of biogeographic patterns of green plants from a phylogenetic perspective and may involve different levels of organization, from populations and species to the entire plant system.

Main tasks: Research and supervision, in addition to some teaching in plant systematics.

Required qualifications: In order to qualify for the position of associate senior lecturer, the applicant must have completed a doctoral degree or an equivalent degree of no more than seven years (7) before the deadline for applications.

All teaching positions at Stockholm University require the ability to collaborate and the general ability and suitability to perform one’s duties.

Please use the 'Apply' button to submit your application. Deadline for applications is August 30th, 2014.

Additional information: An associate senior lecturer is employed until further notice, but no longer than four years. The contract may be extended to a maximum of six years under special circumstances, such as due to sick leave or parental leave.

An associate senior lecturer may, on application, be promoted to a permanent position as associate professor. Specific criteria for promotion from assistant professor to associate professor have been established by the Faculty of Science and can be found at www.science.su.se.

An application for promotion to assistant professor should be submitted to the faculty at least nine months before the appointment as assistant professor expires. An employee seeking promotion to senior lecturer is expected to be able to teach in Swedish.

Further information about the position can be obtained from Professor Peter Hambäck, telephone +46 8 16 1288

Administrative coordinator Mikael Stenberg, telephone +46 8 16 2086,  will provide further information about the application and appointment procedure if required.