Abstrakt: Although discontinuous because of their karst nature, the Almenara-Casablanca complex records a very
complete small vertebrate succession (amphibians, squamates, insectivores, bats, rodents and lagomorphs),
characterized by the richness of their sites, a richness which cannot be expected
in sites of
fluvio-lacustrine origin. This late Neogene-early Quaternary succession includes the sites of Almenara-
Casablanca M (Miocene-Pliocene boundary), Almenara-Casablanca 4 (late Pliocene), Almenara-Casablanca
1 (earliest Pleistocene) and Almenara-Casablanca 3 (late early Pleistocene). In this way, the
Almenara-Casablanca succession complements the data from other well know terrestrial Pliocene-
Pleistocene sequences in the Iberian Peninsula, most notably that of the Guadix-Baza Basin. The
complementation between the almost continuous Pliocene-Pleistocene sequence of the Guadix-Baza
Basin and the discontinuous but very rich succession from the Almenara-Casablanca complex enables
accurate dating of some of the faunal events that punctuate the Pliocene-early Pleistocene time interval.
Furthermore, the assemblages from the Almenara-Casablanca complex contain the evidence of the
earliest occurrences of several taxa as well as the persistence of other that had already disappeared from
other European regions. Therefore, it provides new evidence for the particular role which the Iberian
Peninsula played during the late Neogene and early Quaternary, acting at certain moments as a bridge for
the entry of African taxa or, alternatively, as a refuge for other European taxa. This paper provides an
updated review of the small vertebrate succession from this complex.
Stichwort: Almenara-Casablanca Karst; Small Vertebrate; Neogene; Quaternary
Abstrakt: A new hadrosaurid dinosaur, Arenysaurus ardevoli gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Maastrichtian of Aren (Huesca, South-central Pyrenees) is described on the basis of a partial, articulated skull, mandibular remains and postcranial elements, including vertebrae, girdle and limb bones. Arenysaurus
is characterized by having a very prominent frontal dome; nearly vertical prequadratic
(squamosal) and jugal (postorbital) processes, and deltopectoral crest of the humerus oriented anteriorly. Moreover, it possesses a unique combination of characters: short frontal (length/width approximately 0.5); midline ridge of parietal at level of the postorbitalsquamosal
bar; parietal excluded from the occiput; squamosal low above the cotyloid cavity. A phylogenetical analysis indicates that Arenysaurus is a rather basal member of Lambeosaurinae and the sister-taxon to Amurosaurus and the Corythosaurini-Parasaurolophini clade. The phylogenetic and biogeographical relationships of Arenysaurus and other lambeosaurines suggest a palaeogeographical connection between Asia and Europe during the Late Cretaceous.[RÉSUMÉ]"Les derniers dinosaures hadrosauridés d’Europe : un nouveau lambéosauriné du Crétacé terminal d’Arén (Huesca,
Espagne)". Un nouveau dinosaure hadrosauridé, Arenysaurus ardevoli gen. et sp. nov., du Maastrichtien supérieur d’Arén (Huesca, Pyrénées méridionales) est décrit ici à partir d’un crâne partiel articulé, de restes mandibulaires et d’éléments postcrâniens, y compris des vertèbres et des os des ceintures et des membres. Arenysaurus est caractérisé par un dôme frontal très proéminent, par
des processus postcotyloïde (squamosal) et jugal (postorbital) verticalisés et par une crête deltopectorale de l’humérus, orientée antérieurement. De plus, Arenysaurus montre une combinaison unique de caractères: frontal court (longueur/largeur environ 0,5); crête médiane du pariétal située au niveau de la barre postorbital-squamosal; pariétal exclu de l’occiput; squamosal bas au-dessus de la cavité cotyloïde. Une analyse phylogénétique montre qu’Arenysaurus est un lambéosauriné plutôt basal et le groupe frère d’Amurosaurus et du clade Corythosaurini-Parasaurolophini. Les relations phylogénétiques et biogéographiques d’Arenysaurus et d’autres lambéosaurinés suggèrent une connexion paléogéographique entre l’Asie et l’Europe, au cours du Crétacé supérieur.
Stichwort: Hadrosauridae, Arenysaurus ardevoli nov. gen. et sp., Maastrichtian, Huesca, Iberian Peninsula
Hadrosauridae, Arenysaurus ardevoli nov. gen. et sp., Maastrichtien, Huesca, Péninsule ibérique
