Ichnotaxonomic review of large ornithopod dinosaur tracks: Temporal and geographic implications

• Main Authors: Díaz Martínez, Ignacio, Pereda Suberbiola, Xavier, Pérez Lorente, Félix, Canudo, José Ignacio
• Language: Spanish
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Ciencias Ambientales y de la Tierra; Large Ornithopod Trancks; Ichnotaxonomy; Temporal and Geographical Implications; Argentina; Martínez; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://rid.unrn.edu.ar/jspui/handle/20.500.12049/2839; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12049/2839; http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0115477; http://hdl.handle.net/11336/39663; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115477

Fil: Díaz Martínez, Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Sede Alto Valle. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología; Argentina. Fil: Díaz Martínez, Ignacio. Universidad de la Rioja; España. Fil: Díaz Martínez, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Pereda Suberbiola, Xavier. Universidad del País Vasco; España Fil: Pérez Lorente, Félix. Universidad de la Rioja; España Fil: Canudo, José I. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; España true Large ornithopod tracks are known from the Upper Jurassic to the uppermost Cretaceous rocks of all continents but Antarctica. They include the tracks historically called Iguanodon footprints, iguanodontid footprints, hadrosaur/hadrosaurid footprints, and other large ornithopod tracks that have been used to define ichnotaxa. More than 40 ichnospecies based on large ornithopod tracks have been defined, but the validity of many of them is questionable. Methodology/Principal Findings: 34 ichnogenera and 44 ichnospecies have been analysed in this work. Many of them are considered to be invalid because they have been defined on the basis of poorly preserved tracks without diagnostic features, have an inadequate diagnosis, or are based on temporal and/or geographical criteria. Only eight ichnospecies belonging to the ichnogenera Caririchnium, Iguanodontipus and Hadrosauropodus are here regarded as valid. Conclusions/Significance: The monospecific ichnogenus Iguanodontipus (I. burreyi) is characterized by a small, rounded heel and elongate, narrow digit impressions. Its distribution is limited to the Berriasian/Valanginian of Europe. Caririchnium consists of four ichnospecies (C. magnificum [type ichnospecies], C. kortmeyeri, C. billsarjeanti and C. lotus) with a large, rounded heel and short, wide digit impressions. This ichnogenus ranges from the Berriasian-Hauterivian to the Aptian Albian of South America, North America, Asia and Europe. Finally, Hadrosauropodus (three ichnospecies: H. langstoni ...