Theropod teeth diversity from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian–Berriasian) at Riodeva (Teruel, Spain)

Abstract

Riodeva sites (Villar del Arzobispo Fm) in Teruel, Spain, have revealed themselves as a window through which to gain a better understanding of the Iberian dinosaurs of the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition. Nevertheless, the theropod record from this Formation is scarce. Based on our study of a sample of theropod teeth recovered from different Riodevan sites, we have come to the conclusion that dinosaur assemblages in Riodeva include at least three different kinds of theropods: big non-coelurosaur tetanurans, middle-sized allosaurids and small dromaeosaurs. These three types of theropods represent new elements in the record of dinosaurs, which until now includes sauropods (turiasaurians, diplodocids, macronarians), stegosaurs and ornithopods.