Villalba de la Sierra Formation

Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Stratigraphic range: Campanian-Maastrichtian; ~
	Excavation of a titanosaur at Lo Hueco
Type	Geological formation
Lithology
Primary	Mudstone
Other	Sandstone, gypsum
Location
Coordinates	40°00′N 2°00′W / 40.0°N 2.0°W
Approximate paleocoordinates	30°42′N 0°36′W / 30.7°N 0.6°W
Region	Castilla-La Mancha
Country	Spain
Extent	Iberian Ranges
Type section
Named for	Villalba de la Sierra
	Villalba de la Sierra Formation (Spain)

The Villalba de la Sierra Formation is a Campanian to Maastrichtian geologic formation in Spain. Fossil dinosaur eggs have been reported from the formation, that comprises gypsiferous, grey, argillaceous mudstones and sandstones, deposited in a floodplain environment^[1]^[2] characterised by high seasonality and variability in water availability.^[3]

Fossil content

Color key

Taxon	Reclassified taxon	Taxon falsely reported as present	Dubious taxon or junior synonym	Ichnotaxon	Ootaxon	Morphotaxon

Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; ~~crossed out~~ taxa are discredited.

Dinosaur

Sauropods

Sauropods of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon/ootaxon	Species/oospecies	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Lohuecotitan^[4]	L. pandafilandi	Lo Hueco.	A disarticulated partial skeleton	A titanosaurian sauropod
Qunkasaura^[5]	Q. pintiquiniestra	Lo Hueco.	A partial skeleton belonging to a single individual.	A opisthocoelicaudiine saltasaurid; closely related to Abditosaurus kuehnei.
Litosoolithus^[6]	L. poyosi	Poyos.	Multiple partial to almost complete eggs and clutches.	Very large fusioolithid titanosaurian eggs with very thin eggshells and dispersituberculated ornamentation.
Fusioolithus^[7]	F. baghensis	Poyos.	Multiple partial to almost complete eggs and clutches.	Widespread fusioolithid titanosaurian eggs with ridged compactituberculated ornamentation.
Megaloolithus^[8]	M. siruguei	Portilla.	Isolated eggshells.	European megaloolithid titanosaurian eggs with thick eggshells and compactituberculated ornamentation.

Theropods

Theropods of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Abelisauridae Indet.^[9]	Indeterminate	Poyos	Teeth, Cranial and Postcranial Elements	A abelisaurid theropod; closely related to Arcovenator escotae.

Reptiles

Crocodiles

Crocodiles of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Agaresuchus^[10]	A. fontisensis			A allodaposuchid eusuchian
Lohuecosuchus^[11]	L. megadontos			A allodaposuchid eusuchian
Musturzabalsuchus	M. sp			A allodaposuchid eusuchian

Turtles

Turtles of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Foxemys^[12]	F. mechinorum			A bothremydid side-necked turtle
Iberoccitanemys^[13]	I. convenarum			A bothremydid side-necked turtle

References

^ Lo Hueco, Fuentes (G1) at Fossilworks.org
^ Weishampel et al., 2004, pp.517-607
^ Peyrot, Daniel; Barroso-Barcenilla, Fernando; Cambra-Moo, Oscar (1 October 2013). "Paleoecology of the late Campanian/early Maastrichtian Fossil-Lagerstätte of "Lo Hueco" (Cuenca, Spain): Palynological insights". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 387: 27–39. Bibcode:2013PPP...387...27P. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.07.005. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
^ V. Díez Díaz; P. Mocho; A. Páramo; F. Escaso; F. Marcos-Fernández; J.L. Sanz; F. Ortega (2016). "A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain)". Cretaceous Research. 68: 49–60. Bibcode:2016CrRes..68...49D. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.08.001.
^ Mocho, P.; Escaso, F.; Marcos-Fernández, F.; Páramo, A.; Sanz, J. L.; Vidal, D.; Ortega, F. (2024). "A Spanish saltasauroid titanosaur reveals Europe as a melting pot of endemic and immigrant sauropods in the Late Cretaceous". Communications Biology. 7. 1016. doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06653-0. PMC 11375222. PMID 39232208.
^ Sanguino, F., de Celis, A., de la Horra, R., Fernández Fernández, E., Fernández Martínez, J., Marcos-Fernández, F., Pérez-García, A., Ortega, F., 2025. "A unique association of fusioolithid dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous of Spain (Poyos, central system)". Cretaceous Research 174, 106122.
^ Sanguino, F., de Celis, A., de la Horra, R., Fernández Fernández, E., Fernández Martínez, J., Marcos-Fernández, F., Pérez-García, A., Ortega, F., 2025. "A unique association of fusioolithid dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous of Spain (Poyos, central system)". Cretaceous Research 174, 106122.
^ Moratalla García, J. J. (1993). "Restos indirectos de dinosaurios del registro español Paleoicnología de la Cuenca de Cameros (Jurásico Superior-Cretácico Inferior) y Paleoología de Cretácico Superior". PhD Thesis.
^ Malafaia, E.; Escaso, F.; Coria, R. A.; Pérez-García, A.; Ortega, F. (2024). "Theropod teeth from the Upper Cretaceous of central Spain: assessing the paleobiogeographic history of European abelisaurids". Cretaceous Research. 106072. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106072.
^ I. Narváez; C.A. Brochu; F. Escaso; A. Pérez-García; F. Ortega (2016). "New Spanish Late Cretaceous eusuchian reveals the synchronic and sympatric presence of two allodaposuchids". Cretaceous Research. 65: 112–125. Bibcode:2016CrRes..65..112N. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.04.018.
^ Iván Narváez; Christopher A. Brochu; Fernando Escaso; Adán Pérez-García; Francisco Ortega (2015). "New Crocodyliforms from Southwestern Europe and Definition of a Diverse Clade of European Late Cretaceous Basal Eusuchians". PLOS ONE. 10 (11): e0140679. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1040679N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140679. PMC 4633049. PMID 26535893.
^ Tong, Haiyan; Eugene S Gaffney; Eric Buffetaut (1998). "Foxemys, a new side-necked turtle (Bothremydidae, Pelomedusoides) from the late Cretaceous of France". American Museum Novitates (3251): 1–19. hdl:2246/3157. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
^ Adán Pérez-García; Francisco Ortega; Xabier Murelaga (2012). "A new genus of Bothremydidae (Chelonii, Pleurodira) in the Cretaceous of Southwestern Europe". Geobios. 45 (2): 219–229. Bibcode:2012Geobi..45..219P. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2011.03.001.

Bibliography

Díez Díaz, V.; Mocho, P.; Páramo, A.; Escaso, F.; Marcos-Fernández, F.; Sanz, J.L.; Ortega, F. (2016). "A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain)". Cretaceous Research. 68: 49–60. Bibcode:2016CrRes..68...49D. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.08.001.
Ortega, F.; Bardet, N.; Barroso-Barcenilla, F.; Callapez, P.M.; Cambra-Moo, O.; Daviero- Gómez, V.; Díez Díaz, V.; Domingo, L.; Elvira, A.; Escaso, F.; García-Oliva, M.; Gómez, B.; Houssaye, A.; Knoll, F.; Marcos-Fernández, F.; Martín, M.; Mocho, P.; Narváez, I.; Pérez- García, A.; Peyrot, D.; Segura, M.; Serrano, H.; Torices, A.; Vidal, D.; Sanz, J.L. (2015). "The biota of the Upper Cretaceous site of "Lo Hueco" (Cuenca, Spain)". Journal of Iberian Geology. 41 (1). doi:10.5209/rev_JIGE.2015.v41.n1.48657. hdl:10486/675918.
Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka, eds. (2004). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 1–880. ISBN 0-520-24209-2. Retrieved 2019-02-21.

[1] Lo Hueco, Fuentes (G1) at Fossilworks.org

[dinosaurdistribution-2] Weishampel et al., 2004, pp.517-607

[3] Peyrot, Daniel; Barroso-Barcenilla, Fernando; Cambra-Moo, Oscar (1 October 2013). "Paleoecology of the late Campanian/early Maastrichtian Fossil-Lagerstätte of "Lo Hueco" (Cuenca, Spain): Palynological insights". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 387: 27–39. Bibcode:2013PPP...387...27P. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.07.005. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

[4] V. Díez Díaz; P. Mocho; A. Páramo; F. Escaso; F. Marcos-Fernández; J.L. Sanz; F. Ortega (2016). "A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain)". Cretaceous Research. 68: 49–60. Bibcode:2016CrRes..68...49D. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.08.001.

[5] Mocho, P.; Escaso, F.; Marcos-Fernández, F.; Páramo, A.; Sanz, J. L.; Vidal, D.; Ortega, F. (2024). "A Spanish saltasauroid titanosaur reveals Europe as a melting pot of endemic and immigrant sauropods in the Late Cretaceous". Communications Biology. 7. 1016. doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06653-0. PMC 11375222. PMID 39232208.

[6] Sanguino, F., de Celis, A., de la Horra, R., Fernández Fernández, E., Fernández Martínez, J., Marcos-Fernández, F., Pérez-García, A., Ortega, F., 2025. "A unique association of fusioolithid dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous of Spain (Poyos, central system)". Cretaceous Research 174, 106122.

[7] Sanguino, F., de Celis, A., de la Horra, R., Fernández Fernández, E., Fernández Martínez, J., Marcos-Fernández, F., Pérez-García, A., Ortega, F., 2025. "A unique association of fusioolithid dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous of Spain (Poyos, central system)". Cretaceous Research 174, 106122.

[8] Moratalla García, J. J. (1993). "Restos indirectos de dinosaurios del registro español Paleoicnología de la Cuenca de Cameros (Jurásico Superior-Cretácico Inferior) y Paleoología de Cretácico Superior". PhD Thesis.

[9] Malafaia, E.; Escaso, F.; Coria, R. A.; Pérez-García, A.; Ortega, F. (2024). "Theropod teeth from the Upper Cretaceous of central Spain: assessing the paleobiogeographic history of European abelisaurids". Cretaceous Research. 106072. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106072.

[10] I. Narváez; C.A. Brochu; F. Escaso; A. Pérez-García; F. Ortega (2016). "New Spanish Late Cretaceous eusuchian reveals the synchronic and sympatric presence of two allodaposuchids". Cretaceous Research. 65: 112–125. Bibcode:2016CrRes..65..112N. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.04.018.

[11] Iván Narváez; Christopher A. Brochu; Fernando Escaso; Adán Pérez-García; Francisco Ortega (2015). "New Crocodyliforms from Southwestern Europe and Definition of a Diverse Clade of European Late Cretaceous Basal Eusuchians". PLOS ONE. 10 (11): e0140679. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1040679N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140679. PMC 4633049. PMID 26535893.

[Tong1998-12] Tong, Haiyan; Eugene S Gaffney; Eric Buffetaut (1998). "Foxemys, a new side-necked turtle (Bothremydidae, Pelomedusoides) from the late Cretaceous of France". American Museum Novitates (3251): 1–19. hdl:2246/3157. Retrieved 19 January 2012.

[13] Adán Pérez-García; Francisco Ortega; Xabier Murelaga (2012). "A new genus of Bothremydidae (Chelonii, Pleurodira) in the Cretaceous of Southwestern Europe". Geobios. 45 (2): 219–229. Bibcode:2012Geobi..45..219P. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2011.03.001.

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