«Pleurocoelus» valdensis Lydekker, 1889 (Saurischia, Sauropoda) en el Cretácico Inferior (Barremiense) de la Península Ibérica

Abstract

One fragmentary sauropod isolated tooth from the Upper Barremian-Lower Aptian (Artoles Formation) of Vallipón (Castellote, Teruel province, Spain) is described. It has a «parallel-sided» crown and a «compressed cone-chisellike » general form. This tooth resembles the teeth from the Lower Barremian of Boca do Chapin (Estremadura province, Portugal) and Galve (Teruel province) described as Pleurocoelus valdensis/Astrodon valdensis and cf. Astrodon sp., respectively. The Portuguese and Spanish teeth are compared with the teeth of Pleurocoelusvaldensis from England, and Astrodon johnstoni and Pleurocoelus nanus from Maryland (USA), and they show similarities with the English species. Due to P. valdensis and P. nanus could not be congeneric, «Pleurocoelus» valdensis is put with quotation marks. «P.» valdensis is based on several isolated teeth from the Berriasian-Valanginian of Sussex and the Barremian of the Isle of Wight, but no holotype was designated, and all those teeth could represent two or more different sauropods species. The specific name is reserved to compressed cone-chisel-like teeth with enamel ornamented with irregular longitudinal ridges, probably pertaining to brachiosaurid sauropods