A systematic reassessment of Early Cretaceous multituberculates from Galve (Teruel, Spain)

Abstract

This paper includes a systematic reassessment of the Early Cretaceous (late Hauterivian–early Barremian) multituberculate fossils of Galve (Teruel, Spain), previously studied by Crusafont-Pairó and Adrover, and Crusafont-Pairó and Gibert in 1966 and 1976, respectively, as well the study of other unpublished specimens found in the revised collection of Institut Català de Paleontologia (ICP). We here include for the first time the emended descriptions and comparisons as well as the SEM photographs of all the specimens found in the collection and update the biostratigraphic data that they have provided. The multituberculate fossil assemblage from Galve comprises at least four taxa: the paulchoffatiid Galveodon nannothus, the eobaatarid Eobaatar hispanicus, another eobaatarid or a possible plagiaulacid, Iberica hahni gen. et sp. nov., and the pinheirodontid Lavocatia alfambrensis. The species Parendotherium herreroi has been removed from the multituberculate faunal list of Galve. Another two different taxa, provisionally classified as Paulchoffatiidae indet. and Plagiaulacidae or Eobaataridae indet. could be added to the list if their validity can be assessed once more specimen are found. The presence of more than four different “plagiaulacidan” multituberculate taxa in the late Hauterivian–early Barremian of the Galve area suggests a high biodiversity of these mammal faunas in the Early Cretaceous age of the Iberian Peninsula.