The anatomy, phylogenetic relationships, and stratigraphic position of the Tithonian–Berriasian Spanish sauropod dinosaur Aragosaurus ischiaticus

摘要: The first dinosaur to be named from Spain, the sauropod Aragosaurus ischiaticus Sanz, Buscalioni, Casanovas and Santafe 1987, is known associated postcranial remains of one individual Las Zabacheras site in Galve, Teruel Province, Spain. Results recent fieldwork confirm that represents a deltaic sediment complex Villar del Arzobispo Formation with Tithonian–Berriasian (latest Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous) age. Description anatomy (including several previously undescribed elements) enables re-evaluation this taxon's relationships. ischiaticus has six autapomorphies axial appendicular skeleton, including presence epipophysis-like protuberances on middle caudal postzygapophyses. Phylogenetic analyses, using three independent data sets, support view basal macronarian sauropod, lying outside Titanosauriformes. possesses derived states are shared Titanosauriformes, indicating some characters considered represent titanosauriform synapomorphies have slightly wider distribution. A tooth, described as Aragosaurus, cannot referred taxon it was recovered different locality, there no overlapping elements holotype; here regarded representing an indeterminate titanosauriform. These results, combined new stratigraphic age demonstrate sauropods were present Europe at end Late Jurassic, alongside more titanosauriforms. four genera making latter important contributor our understanding Jurassic diversity well-known contemporaneous faunas African Tendaguru North American Morrison Formation. © 2014 Linnean Society London