Ricardo N. Martínez, Cecilia Apaldetti, Gustavo
Correa, Carina E. Colombi, Eliana Fernández, Paula Santi Malnis, Angel
Praderio, Diego Abelín, Laura G. Benegas, Andrea Aguilar-Cameo And Oscar A.
Alcober
The Quebrada del
Barro Formation (QBF) is part of the continental Marayes-El Carrizal Basin, in
NW Argentina. Here we report a diverse faunal assemblage recently discovered in
the Quebrada del Barro Formation, along with a preliminary discussion of the
taxonomic status and affinities of numerous vertebrate specimens found at two
localities where this unit is exposed. The new vertebrate association includes
remains of at least 12 different new species related to six major vertebrate
groups: Cynodontia, Testudinata, Sphenodontia, Pseudosuchia, Pterosauria, and
Dinosauromorpha. The most abundant specimens in this faunal assemblage are
opisthodontian sphenodonts, tritheledontid cynodonts and basal sauropodomorph
dinosaurs, but the assemblage also includes diagnostic remains of lagerpetid
dinosauromorphs, theropods, pterosaurs, basal crocodylomorphs, and stem
testudinatans. Several of these groups have also been reported for the Los
Colorados Formation (LCF), although the two units differ in their taxonomic
content at the species level and in the relative abundance of different
taxonomic groups. A comparison of these two faunal assemblage suggest the fauna
of QBF is younger than that of LCF and we tentatively assess a late Norian– Rhaetian
age for the QBF. Some of the specimens reported here are known from
well-preserved specimens and yield important new information for understanding
the evolution of these groups, which underscores the relevance of the QBF fauna
for assessing the dynamics of the major groups of vertebrates that dominated
the terrestrial ecosystems during the early Mesozoic in Pangea.
Ricardo N.
Martínez, Cecilia Apaldetti, Gustavo Correa, Carina E. Colombi, Eliana Fernández, Paula Santi
Malnis, Angel Praderio, Diego Abelín, Laura G. Benegas, Andrea Aguilar-Cameo,
and Oscar A. Alcober (2015). A new Late Triassic vertebrate assemblage from
northwestern Argentina. Ameghiniana
52: 379–390.
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