Abstract
Remains of theropod dinosaurs are very rare in Northern Germany because the area was repeatedly submerged by a shallow epicontinental sea during the Mesozoic. Here, 80 Late Jurassic theropod teeth are described of which the majority were collected over decades from marine carbonates in nowadays abandoned and backfilled quarries of the 19th century. Eighteen different morphotypes (A—R) could be distinguished and 3D models based on micro-CT scans of the best examples of all morphotypes are included as supplements. The teeth were identified with the assistance of discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis based on updated datamatrices. The results show that a large variety of theropod groups were present in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany. Identified specimens comprise basal Tyrannosauroidea, as well as Allosauroidea, Megalosauroidea cf. Marshosaurus, Megalosauridae cf. Torvosaurus and probably Ceratosauria. The formerly reported presence of Dromaeosauridae in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany could not be confirmed. Some teeth of this study resemble specimens described as pertaining to Carcharodontosauria (morphotype A) and Abelisauridae (morphotype K). This interpretation is however, not supported by discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis. Two smaller morphotypes (N and Q) differ only in some probably size-related characteristics from larger morphotypes (B and C) and could well represent juveniles of adult specimens. The similarity of the northern German theropods with groups from contemporaneous localities suggests faunal exchange via land-connections in the Late Jurassic between Germany, Portugal and North America.
Highlights
Isolated teeth probably represent the most abundant theropod dinosaur body fossils
Morphotype C shows some similarities with tooth crowns described for the Chinese Late Jurassic theropod Sinraptor, e.g. the eight or bean-shaped basal cross-section, distal carinae that terminate at the cervix
The teeth were assigned to Deinonychus, Piatnitzkysaurus, Raptorex and Proceratosaurus with an as well variable classification probability (40.99– 75.76%). As these results are rather indecisively, a separate discriminant function analysis (DFA) and principal component analysis (PCA) for morphotypes E—G (S8 Appendix) was run and they were tested against taxa with a DSDI of >1.2 [1, 61]: Piatnitzkysaurus, Masiakasaurus, Liliensternus; the higher level clades basal Tyrannosauroidea (Proceratosaurus, Alioramus, Raptorex) and Dromaeosauridae (Deinonychus, Dromaeosaurus, Velociraptor)
Summary
Isolated teeth probably represent the most abundant theropod dinosaur body fossils. Even sedimentary deposits where terrestrial vertebrate fossils are very rare, such as the marine Late Jurassic carbonates in Northern Germany, yield isolated teeth. Statistical Analysis Theropod Teeth Northern Germany especially when more diagnostic material is absent In such cases, statistical analysis of isolated theropod teeth can often facilitate assignment to a higher taxonomic level [1, 2], sometimes even to genus level. Smith et al [2] used discriminant function analysis (DFA) and principal component analysis (PCA) for identification of isolated theropod teeth for the first time. Their method was followed in general by a series of other publications [4,5,6,7]. Many studies that use discriminant function analysis (DFA) and principal component analysis (PCA) for the identification of isolated teeth focus on specimens from Late Cretaceous localities Many studies that use discriminant function analysis (DFA) and principal component analysis (PCA) for the identification of isolated teeth focus on specimens from Late Cretaceous localities (e.g. [10,11,12,13,14]); only few concern Late Jurassic teeth [15,16,17]
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