Villar del Arzobispo Formation

Villar del Arzobispo Formation
Stratigraphic range: Kimmeridgian-early Berriasian? PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
An ornithopod trackway at the Las Cerradicas site, Villar del Arzobispo Formation. Photographed around 2013.[1]
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Aguilar del Alfambra Formation
Overlies	Oolitic limestones of the Higuerueles Formation
Thickness	Greatly variable;108–1,383 m (354–4,537 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Mudstone
Other	Limestone, sandstone, conglomerate
Location
Coordinates	40.5°N 0.8°W / 40.5; -0.8
Approximate paleocoordinates	31.4°N 8.6°E / 31.4; 8.6
Region	Aragón, Teruel, Valencia
Country	Spain
Extent	Maestrazgo Basin
Type section
Named for	Villar del Arzobispo
Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Spain)

The Villar del Arzobispo Formation is a Late Jurassic to possibly Early Cretaceous geologic formation in eastern Spain. It is equivalent in age to the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal. It was originally thought to date from the Late Tithonian-Middle Berriasian, but more recent work suggests a Kimmeridigan-Late Tithonian, possibly dating to the Early Berriasian in some areas. The Villar del Arzobispo Formation's age in the area of Riodeva in Spain has been dated based on stratigraphic correlations as middle-upper Tithonian, approximately 145-141 million years old. In the area of Galve, the formation potentially dates into the earliest Cretaceous.^[2]

Most of the unit consists of siliciclastic mudstone, however the lower portion of the formation is dominated by bioclastic, oolitic and peloidal limestone, while channelized sandstone and conglomerate is found in the middle portion of the unit. While the lower part of the formation was deposited in an inner carbonate platform, the upward gradation into mudstone in the middle and upper portions of the formation represents a change in depositional environment to paralic and alluvial plain conditions.^[3]

Dinosaur remains are found throughout the unit, but are more abundant and better preserved in the terrestrially deposited middle-upper sections. Remains of the stegosaurid Dacentrurus were recovered in the Barranco Conejero locality in this formation.^[4] Over the years, other stegosaurian remains have been discovered in this formation, but none have yet been referred to a specific genus.^[5] Turiasaurs and brachiosaurids are also known from the formation. The formation is also well known for its fossil footprints, representing many different taxa.

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.

Dinosaurs of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation
Taxon	Species	Localities	Material	Notes	Images
Allosauridae[6]	Indeterminate	Barrihonda-El Humero	5 teeth	Typical allosaurid teeth.	Aragosaurus Camptosaurus Dacentrurus Turiasaurus
Aragosaurus[7]	A. ischiaticus	Las Zabacheras	partial postcranial skeleton	A basal macronarian previously thought to come from the El Castellar Formation.
aff. Camptosaurus[8]	C. sp.	Fuentecillas	fragmentary remains: an anterior cervical centrum; an anterior dorsal centrum; a dorsosacral centrum; four sacral centra; a caudosacral centrum; two anterior caudal centra; three medial caudal centra; and a distal fragment from the left humerus	An ornithopod. The Fuentecillas specimen is seen to be closer to Camptosaurus than to Draconyx, hence its tentative placement within the Camptosaurus genus.
Dacentrurus armatus[9]	D. armatus	Barrihonda–El Humero San Cristóbal Cerrito del Olmo	several different elements	Subjective senior synonym of Miragaia.
Dacentrurinae[10]	Indeterminate	Barranco del Curro El Balsón	two partial skeletons	Cannot be compared with Miragaia.
Deltapodus[11]	D. ibericus	El Castellar	trackway on tidal limestone	Belongs to a large stegosaur, possibly related to Dacentrurus.
Diplodocidae[12]	Indeterminate	Pino de Jarque 2	ilium	Similar to Diplodocus and Barosaurus.
Diplodocinae[12]	Indeterminate	El Carrillejo	anterior caudal vertebra
Dromaeosauridae[6]	Indeterminate	Barrihonda-El Humero Puntal de Santa Cruz	7 teeth	Possibly belonging to a velociraptorine.
Galvesaurus[13]	G. herreroi	Cuesta Lonsal-1	partial skeleton	Was once thought to be a turiasaur or basal macronarian, but now known to be a brachiosaurid. Possibly a junior synonym of Lusotitan.[14]
Iberosauripus[15]	I. grandis	El Castellar	trackway	Likely belonged to a megalosaurid.
Losillasaurus[16]	L. giganteus	La Cañada San Lorenzo	caudal vertebrae, and two partial skeletons	A large turiasaur closely related to Turiasaurus.
Macronaria[12]	Indeterminate	La Quineta 1 Las Viñas San Lorenzo	caudal vertebrae
Megalosauridae[6][15]	Indeterminate	Carretera La Fonseca Masía de la Hoya Alta RD-39	teeth	Tentatively referred to the Megalosauridae. Some of the largest theropod teeth of Spain.
Oblitosaurus[17]	O. bunnueli	Barrihonda-El Humero	"a dentary tooth, an ungual pollex of the manus, and an almost complete left hindlimb"	Basalmost ankylopollexian, sister taxon to Draconyx.
Turiasaurus[18][16]	T. riodevensis	Barrihonda–El Humero Corral de la Cautiva	several postcranial and cranial elements	A large turiasaur, similar to Losillasaurus.
Turiasauria[12]	Indeterminate	Puntal de Santa Cruz	several postcranial elements	Indeterminate turiasaur material originally referred to Turiasaurus, but does not share any unique features with the genus[19]

Turtles of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation
Taxon	Species	Localities	Material	Notes	Images
Riodevemys	R. inumbragigas	Barrihonda–El Humero		A pleurosternid freshwater turtle

Correlation

Early Cretaceous stratigraphy of Iberia

Ma	Age	Paleomap \ Basins	Cantabrian	Olanyà	Cameros	Maestrazgo	Oliete	Galve	Morella	South Iberian	Pre-betic	Lusitanian
100	Cenomanian		La Cabana	Sopeira	Utrillas		Mosquerela					Caranguejeira
			Altamira		Utrillas
			Eguino
125	Albian		Ullaga - Balmaseda	Lluçà						Traiguera
			Monte Grande		Escucha		Escucha			Jijona
			Itxina - Miono
	Aptian		Valmaseda - Tellamendi		Ol Gp. - Castrillo	Benassal		Benassal				Olhos
				Font	En Gp. - Leza	Morella/Oliete	Oliete	Villaroya	Morella	Capas Rojas		Almargem
			Patrocinio - Ernaga	Senyús	En Gp. - Jubela	Forcall				Villaroya	Upper Bedoulian	Figueira
	Barremian		Vega de Pas	Cabó	Abejar	Xert	Alacón	Xert		Huérguina		Assises
				Prada		Artoles				Collado	Moutonianum	Papo Seco
				Rúbies	Tera Gp. - Golmayo	Alacón/Blesa	Blesa	Camarillas	Mirambel
150	Hauterivian				Ur Gp. - Pinilla	Llacova		Castellar	Tera Gp. - Pinilla	Villares		Porto da Calada
							hiatus
						Huerva			Gaita
	Valanginian		Villaro		Ur Gp. - Larriba				Ped Gp. - Hortigüela
					Ped Gp. - Hortigüela				Ped Gp. - Piedrahita
					Peñacoba			Galve		Miravetes
	Berriasian		Cab Gp. - Arcera		Valdeprado	hiatus		Alfambra
					TdL Gp. - Rupelo			Arzobispo	hiatus	Tollo
					On Gp. - Huérteles Sierra Matute
	Tithonian		Lastres		Tera Gp. - Magaña		Higuereles			Tera Gp. - Magaña		Lourinhã
									Arzobispo
					Ágreda
Legend		Major fossiliferous, oofossiliferous, ichnofossiliferous, coproliferous, minor formation
Sources

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
  • List of stratigraphic units with few dinosaur genera

References

1. Castanera, Diego; Vila, Bernat; Razzolini, Novella L.; Falkingham, Peter L.; Canudo, José I.; Manning, Phillip L.; Galobart, Àngel (January 22, 2013). "Manus Track Preservation Bias as a Key Factor for Assessing Trackmaker Identity and Quadrupedalism in Basal Ornithopods". PLOS ONE. 8 (1): e54177. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...854177C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054177. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3551957. PMID 23349817.
2. Campos-Soto, Sonia; Benito, M. Isabel; Cobos, Alberto; Caus, Esmeralda; Quijada, I. Emma; Suarez-Gonzalez, Pablo; Mas, Ramón; Royo-Torres, Rafael; Alcalá, Luis (May 3, 2019). "Revisiting the age and palaeoenvironments of the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous? dinosaur-bearing sedimentary record of eastern Spain: implications for Iberian palaeogeography". Journal of Iberian Geology. 45 (3): 471–510. Bibcode:2019JIbG...45..471C. doi:10.1007/s41513-019-00106-y. hdl:10651/52154. ISSN 1698-6180. S2CID 155353782.
3. Campos-Soto, Sonia; Cobos, Alberto; Caus, Esmeralda; Benito, M. Isabel; Fernández-Labrador, Laura; Suarez-Gonzalez, Pablo; Quijada, I. Emma; Mas, Ramón; Royo-Torres, Rafael; Alcalá, Luis (November 2017). "Jurassic Coastal Park: A great diversity of palaeoenvironments for the dinosaurs of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Teruel, eastern Spain)". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 485: 154–177. Bibcode:2017PPP...485..154C. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.06.010.
4. Periáñez, Alberto Cobos; Gascó, Francisco (2013). "New vertebral remains of the stegosaurian dinosaur Dacentrurus from Riodeva (Teruel, Spain)". Geogaceta (53): 17–20. ISSN 0213-683X.
5. Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517-607.
6. Gascó, Francisco; Cobos, Alberto; Royo-Torres, Rafael; Mampel, Luis; Alcalá, Luis (May 9, 2012). "Theropod teeth diversity from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian–Berriasian) at Riodeva (Teruel, Spain)". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 92 (2): 273–285. Bibcode:2012PdPe...92..273G. doi:10.1007/s12549-012-0079-3. ISSN 1867-1594. S2CID 129930988.
7. Royo-Torres, Rafael; Upchurch, Paul; Mannion, Philip D.; Mas, Ramón; Cobos, Alberto; Gascó, Francisco; Alcalá, Luis; Sanz, José Luis (July 1, 2014). "The anatomy, phylogenetic relationships, and stratigraphic position of the Tithonian-Berriasian Spanish sauropod dinosaur Aragosaurus ischiaticus". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 171 (3): 623–655. doi:10.1111/zoj.12144. ISSN 0024-4082.
8. Sánchez-Fenollosa, S.; Verdú, F. J.; Suñer, M.; de Santisteban, C. (January 8, 2022). "Tracing Late Jurassic ornithopod diversity in the eastern Iberian Peninsula: Camptosaurus-like postcranial remains from Alpuente (Valencia, Spain)". Journal of Iberian Geology. 48 (1): 65–78. Bibcode:2022JIbG...48...65S. doi:10.1007/s41513-021-00182-z. ISSN 1698-6180. S2CID 245804125.
9. Sánchez-Fenollosa, S.; Escaso, F.; Cobos, A. (2024). "A new specimen of Dacentrurus armatus Owen, 1875 (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the Upper Jurassic of Spain and its taxonomic relevance in the European stegosaurian diversity". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae074.
10. Company, J.; Pereda Suberbiola, X.; Ruiz-omeñaca, J.I. (2010). "New stegosaurian (Ornithischia, Thyreophora) remains from Jurassic-Cretaceous transition beds of Valencia province (Southwestern Iberian Range, Spain)". Journal of Iberian Geology. 36 (2): 243–252. Bibcode:2010JIbG...36..243C. doi:10.5209/rev_JIGE.2010.v36.n2.10. ISSN 1698-6180. {{cite journal}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
11. Cobos, Alberto; Royo-Torres, Rafael; Luque, Luis; Alcalá, Luis; Mampel, Luis (July 1, 2010). "An Iberian stegosaurs paradise: The Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian–Berriasian) in Teruel (Spain)". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 293 (1): 223–236. Bibcode:2010PPP...293..223C. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2010.05.024. ISSN 0031-0182.
12. Royo-Torres, Rafael; Cobos, Alberto; Luque, Luis; Aberasturi, Ainara; Espílez, Eduardo; Fierro, Ignacio; González, Ana; Mampel, Luis; Alcalá, Luis (2009). "High European sauropod dinosaur diversity during Jurassic–Cretaceous transition in Riodeva (Teruel, Spain)". Palaeontology. 52 (5): 1009–1027. Bibcode:2009Palgy..52.1009R. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00898.x. ISSN 1475-4983.
13. Pérez-Pueyo, M.; Moreno-Azanza, M.; Barco, J.L.; Canudo, J.I. (2019). "New contributions to the phylogenetic position of the sauropod Galvesaurus herreroi from the late Kimmeridgian-early Tithonian (Jurassic) of Teruel (Spain)" (PDF). Boletín Geológico y Minero. 130 (3): 375–392. doi:10.21701/bolgeomin.130.3.001.
14. Mocho, P.; Royo-Torres, R.; Ortega, F. (2017). "New data of the Portuguese brachiosaurid Lusotitan atalaiensis (Sobral Formation, Upper Jurassic)". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. 29 (6): 789–817. Bibcode:2017HBio...29..789M. doi:10.1080/08912963.2016.1247447. S2CID 89037768.
15. Cobos, Alberto; Lockley, Martin G.; Gascó, Francisco; Royo–Torres, Rafael; Alcalá, Luis (April 2014). "Megatheropods as apex predators in the typically Jurassic ecosystems of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Iberian Range, Spain)". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 399: 31–41. Bibcode:2014PPP...399...31C. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.02.008. ISSN 0031-0182.
16. Royo-Torres, Rafael; Cobos, Alberto; Mocho, Pedro; Alcalá, Luis (January 1, 2021). "Origin and evolution of turiasaur dinosaurs set by means of a new 'rosetta' specimen from Spain". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 191 (1): 201–227. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa091. ISSN 0024-4082.
17. Sánchez-Fenollosa, Sergio; Verdú, Francisco J.; Cobos, Alberto (2023), "The largest ornithopod (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Upper Jurassic of Europe sheds light on the evolutionary history of basal ankylopollexians", Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 199 (4) (published July 18, 2023): 1013–1033, doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad076
18. Royo-Torres, Rafael; Cobos, Alberto; Alcalá, Luis (December 22, 2006). "A Giant European Dinosaur and a New Sauropod Clade" (PDF). Science. 314 (5807): 1925–1927. Bibcode:2006Sci...314.1925R. doi:10.1126/science.1132885. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 17185599. S2CID 9343711.
19. Mannion, Philip D; Upchurch, Paul; Schwarz, Daniela; Wings, Oliver (February 27, 2019). "Taxonomic affinities of the putative titanosaurs from the Late Jurassic Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications for eusauropod dinosaur evolution". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 185 (3): 784–909. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zly068. hdl:10044/1/64080. ISSN 0024-4082.

Further reading

• L. Alcalá, A. Cobos, E. Espilez, F. Gascó, L. Mampel, C. M. Escorza, and R. Royo-Torres. 2012. Icnitas de dinosaurios en la Formación Villar del Arzobispo de Ababuj (Teruel, España) [Dinosaur footprints from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation in Ababuj (Teruel, Spain)]. Geogaceta 51:35-38
• J. L. Barco. 2005. Estudio y comparación del esqueleto axial de un saurópodo (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha) procedente de la Formación Villar del Arzobispo (Titónico-Berriasiense) de Galve, Teruel [Study and comparison of the axial skeleton of a sauropod (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha) from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian-Berriasian) of Galve, Teruel]. Treballs del Museu de Geología de Barcelona 13:15-59
• J. L. Barco, J. I. Canudo, J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca and R. Royo-Torres. 1999. Bones, teeth and tracks: about sauropod dinosaur remains from Aragón (northeastern Spain). In J. I. Canudo & G. Cuenca-Bescós (eds.), IV European Workshop on Vertebrate Paleontology, Albarracin, Spain. Universidad de Zaragoza 22-23
• M. L. Casanovas-Cladellas, J. V. Santafé-Llopis, J. Pereda-Suberbiola and C. Santisteban-Bové. 1995. Presencia, por primera vez en España, de dinosaurios estegosaurios (Cretácico Inferior de Aldea de Losilla, Valencia) [Presence, for the first time in Spain, of stegosaurian dinosaurs (Lower Cretaceous of Aldea de Losilla, Valencia)]. Revista Española de Paleontología 10(1):83-89
• A. Cobos and F. Gascó. 2013. New vertebral remains of the stegosaurian dinosaur Dacentrurus from Riodeva (Teruel, Spain). Geogaceta 53:17-20
• A. Cobos, R. Royo-Torres, L. Alcalá and L. Mampel. 2010. An Iberian stegosaurs paradise: The Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian–Berriasian) in Teruel (Spain). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 293(1-2):223-236
• F. Gascó, A. Cobos, R. Royo-Torres, L. Mampel, and L. Alcalá. 2012. Theropod teeth diversity from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian–Berriasian) at Riodeva (Teruel, Spain). Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments
• R. Royo-Torres, A. Cobos, and L. Alcalá. 2008. Primeros restos directos de dinosaurios en la Sierra de Albarracín (Teruel) [First direct remains of dinosaurs in the Sierra de Albarracín (Teruel)]. In J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca, L. Piñuela and J. C. García-Ramos (eds), XXIV Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología, October 15–18, 2008, Museo del Jurásico de Asturias (MUJA), Colunga, Spain, Libro de Resúmenes 189-190
• R. Royo-Torres, A. Cobos, A. Aberasturi, E. Espílez, I. Fierro, A. González, L. Luque, L. Mampel, and L. Alcalá. 2007. Riodeva sites (Teruel, Spain) shedding light to European sauropod phylogeny. Geogaceta 41:183-186
• B. Sánchez-Hernández, M. J. Benton, and D. Naish. 2007. Dinosaurs and other fossil vertebrates from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of the Galve area, NE Spain. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 249:180-215
• C. d. Santisteban, B. Vila, and M. Suñer. 2007. Huellas de dinosaurios conservadas en materiales del cortejo transgresivo en cauces encajados. Jurásico superior y Cretácico inferior de Alpuente, Valencia [Dinosaur footprints preserved in deposits of the transgressive systems tract in incised valleys. Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of Alpuente, Valencia ]. Geogaceta 42:79-82