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The Cuban Oxfordian herpetofauna in the Caribbean Seaway
Abstract
The Oxfordian reptiles recorded in Cuba provide evidence of how the Caribbean Seaway acted as habitat and/or corridor for numerous pelagic predator groups, and even for those, such as pterosaurs, that flew over the area. The composition of the herpetofauna is provided as an Appendix, while remarks on the geologic setting, stratigraphic position, age, taphonomy, paleobiogeographic setting and biogeographic relationships of the Cuban Oxfordian reptiles are given. The fossils found in the lower to middle Oxfordian Jagua Vieja Member of the Jagua Formation (Western Cuba) include a wide range of marine invertebrates as well as fish, marine reptiles, dinosaurs and terrestrial plants. The abundance of plant remains (including tree trunks), some pterosaurs, a dinosaur, and even a primitive pleurodiran turtle, suggest a paleoenvironment not far from the coast. More "off shore" predators as plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, metriorhrynchids and ichthyosaurs, probably crossed the seaway in seasonal migrations.
... Por otra parte, la presencia de Metriorhynchoidea tempranos en el Aaleniano de Oregon, Estados Unidos (Wilberg, 2015), en el Bajociano inferior de Atacama (Tavera, 1981) (Bjerrum y Surlyk, 2001). Un estudio detallado y sistemático Iturralde-Vinent, 2001) reflects close biogeographic relationships with species from the Eastern Pacific and the Western Tethys Arratia, 1994;Otero et al., 2020) evidencing the existence of a fully functional marine corridor during this period (Gasparini and Iturralde-Vinent, 2006). Notwithstanding the above, recently published isotopic data suggest the formation of a Hispanic Corridor in the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian limit (Porter et al., 2013;Franceschi et al., 2014), which is partially consistent with previous hypotheses that propose a temporary early connection marine during the Pliensbachian-Toarcian period (Aberhan, 2001;2002). ...
The presence of fossil marine crocodiles (Crocodylomorpha: Thalattosuchia) is relatively frequent in the Región de Antofagasta, mostly comprising records from Middle Jurassic rocks; however, reports in younger rocks are scarce or these have not been described in detail. This work describes fossil specimens of marine crocodiles from outcrops of the Cerro Campamento Formation, of Oxfordian age (Upper Jurassic, approximately 163 to 157 million years ago) exposed in the Cerritos Bayos sector, Calama commune, Región de Antofagasta. The specimens include 2 cranial pieces (MUHNCAL.20170 and MUHNCAL.20182) corresponding to internal casts of crocodiles of different sizes, and a distal section of an axial skeleton (MUHNCAL.20152). Regarding the cranial material, the presence of hypertrophied exocrine glands together with nasopharyngeal ducts and a laterally directed orbit, allow referring the pieces to the Metriorhynchoidea clade. Similarly, in the specimen consisting of axial pieces, the presence of a pronounced ventral
curvature due to a vertebra with asymmetric morphology is diagnostic of metriorhynchoid crocodiles. The specimens MUHNCAL.20170 and MUHNCAL.20182 clearly represent crocodiles of different sizes, which suggests the presence of different taxa, however, it is not possible to assess the presence of different ontogenetic stages of the same taxon. On the other hand, the proportion of internal cavities is different from those taxa previously known in the Callovian of northern Chile, which could indicate the presence of a new marine crocodile taxon in the Oxfordian of the Tarapacá Basin. The continued presence of basal forms of the Metriorhynchoidea clade on the southwestern margin of Gondwana, at least from the Bajocian, indicates the existence of early biogeographic corridors with the Tethys. Some more plausible biogeographic hypotheses are discussed in accordance with the Pacific record.
... The fully functional Caribbean Corridor (Smith 1983;Iturralde-Vinent 2006) represents the shortest paleogeographical distance between Chile and Laurasia throughout which similar coastal ecosystems may have existed. In this regard, the Caribbean corridor has been proposed as an explanation for faunal similarities of marine deposits among Europe (UK, Germany), Cuba and South America during the Oxfordian (Fig. 7), as accounted by diapsids (Gasparini and Iturralde-Vinent 2006;Gasparini 2009;Otero et al. 2020) and bony fishes (Arratia 1994(Arratia , 2008. Coeval ramphorhynchids from marine deposits of the Caribbean Corridor at Cuba (particularly Nesodactylus hesperius, Colbert 1969) are therefore of special interest for comparison to Chilean forms. ...
We describe partial remains of a non-pterodactyloid pterosaur from Upper Jurassic levels of the Atacama Desert in
northern Chile. The material includes a left humerus, a possible dorsal vertebra, and the shaft of a wing phalanx, all
preserved in three dimensions and likely belonging to a single individual. The humerus has a hatchet-shaped deltopectoral crest, proximally positioned, and its shaft is markedly anteriorly curved, which are characteristic features of the
clade Rhamphorhynchidae. In addition, the presence of a groove that runs along the caudal surface of the phalanx, being
flanked by two asymmetric crests, is a distinctive feature of the clade Rhamphorhynchinae, which includes such genera
as Rhamphorhynchus and Nesodactylus. Previous to this research, known records of Rhamphorhynchinae were restricted
to Laurasia; thus, the specimen studied here represents the first evidence of this group found to date in Gondwana.
Associated ammonoids allow us to assign the material to a middle Oxfordian age, which makes this specimen the oldest
known pterosaur found in Chile, and the first of Oxfordian age in Gondwana. This discovery suggests that the clade Rhamphorhynchidae had a global distribution during the Late Jurassic.
... Together with Acuetzpalin carranzai, P. yacahuitztli is the second platypterygiine ichthyosaur taxon to be documented from Mexico, and thus increases the diversity of ophthalmosaurids from the North American Hispanic Corridor (Smith 1983). This was an important dispersal route for marine reptiles during the Late Jurassic (Fern andez & Iturralde-Vinent 2000, Gasparini & Iturralde-Vinent 2006, Buchy 2007, Buchy & L opez-Oliva 2009, Barrientos-Lara et al. 2015, Barrientos-Lara et al. 2017, Barrientos-Lara et al. 2018. ...
Historically, Mexican Jurassic ichthyosaurs have been referred to European representatives of the cosmopolitan family-level clade Ophthalmosauridae. Here, we describe one of the most skeletally complete Mexican ichthyosaur fossils discovered to date. This specimen was recovered from Late Jurassic (Tithonian) deposits of the La Caja Formation exposed near Gómez Farias in the Saltillo municipality of Coahuila, northern Mexico. The unique morphology of the external nasal opening, which is sub-divided by the dorsal process of the maxilla, an anteroposteriorly elongate lacrimal, and the presence of an elongate linear contact between the lacrimal and prefrontal identify these remains as a new genus and species—Parrassaurus yacahuitztli gen. et sp. nov. Other diagnostic character states include an extremely elongate prenarial rostrum, a proportionately large subnarial versus supranarial process on the premaxilla, anterior bordering of the supratemporal fenestra by the frontal, and an articular contact between the humerus and intermedium that separates the ulna and radius. Parrassaurus yacahuitztli represents the second platypterygiine taxon recorded from Mexico to date, and thus demonstrates a greater diversity of North American ophthalmosaurids than has been previously suspected.
Jair Israel Barrientos-Lara* [j4ir@me.com] and Jesús Alvarado-Ortega [alvarado@geologia.unam.mx], Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de la Investigación S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Delegación Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, 04510 México.
... A Hispanic (= Caribbean) Corridor has been pointed out as the main seaway connecting Tethyan and Palaeopacific herpetofaunas during the Late Jurassic (e.g. Gasparini and Iturralde-Vinent 2006). However, by the Late Jurassic, other seaways, such as the Mozambique Corridor, could be acting as alternative dispersion routes (e.g. ...
New ichthyosaur remains from the Upper Jurassic of Antarctica, recovered from the Ameghino (=Nordenskjöld) Formation are described. These three new specimens represent the first unambiguous records of ichthyosaurs in this continent. Based on the morphology of the humerus, we refer one of the specimens to Ophthalmosauridae, the dominant ichthyosaur forms from the Middle Jurassic until the extinction of the group during the Late Cretaceous. In addition to the new Antarctic records, we re-evaluate ichthyosaur remains of two individuals from the Upper Jurassic of Madagascar and describe a third new specimen, which is the most complete ichthyosaur from this region of Gondwanaland. These findings provide new insights into the role of the seaways opened during the Jurassic in the dispersion of ichthyosaurs, particularly ophthalmosaurids. Antarctic and Malagasian ichthyosaurs bring additional support to the hypothesis of the Mozambique Corridor acting as a dispersal route connecting the Tethys Sea and the southern Pacific margins of Gondwana, at least since the Late Jurassic.
... Damborenea 2000) that was an important migration route for marine faunas (e.g. Damborenea 2000;Gasparini & Iturralde-Vinent 2006), has been used to explain the close faunal relationship of pelagic marine reptiles between these palaeobiogeographical units (e.g. Gasparini ...
Cricosaurus represents one of the most important radiations within Metriorhynchidae, a specialized marine clade of Crocodylomorpha that flourished in marine environments from the Middle Jurassic until the Early Cretaceous. Here, we describe a new species of Cricosaurus, Cricosaurus rauhuti sp. nov., from the Mörnsheim Formation (lower Tithonian) of southern Germany. The specimen is the first three-dimensionally preserved Cricosaurus from this realm, and it is represented by a partially preserved cranium and lower jaw that has autapomorphic characters that distinguish it from any other species of Cricosaurus. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the new species is more closely related to some non-European forms from the Late Jurassic and one taxon from the Valanginian of Germany (all 3D-preserved) than to other Late Jurassic Cricosaurus from southern Germany (all 2D-preserved). Our exploratory analyses confirm that this is not a preservation bias. For the first time, this shows that there are two clades of Cricosaurus present during the Late Jurassic in Germany. Furthermore, it provides additional evidence of a close faunal relationship between Europe and South America in the Late Jurassic, as also evidenced by the fossil record of other marine reptiles. Finally, the distribution of metriorhynchids in localities of the Solnhofen Archipelago suggests a change in the taxic diversity of the region during the early Tithonian, which might be the result of environmental changes in the Solnhofen Archipelago.
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:488705BF-AEAD-4F02-BB4E-429E3117BCD1
... The two most widespread genera are Arthropterygius, occurring in Northern Canada, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, European Russia and Argentina [59,72,78,88,89,[90][91][92] and Ophthalmosaurus occurring in the Callovian to Oxfordian of England, the Oxfordian of western USA (Wyoming) and the Tithonian of European Russia, Mexico and possibly Argentina [19,[93][94][95]. Two possible routes for the dispersal of these genera have been proposed: The 'Boreal route', a North-South directional dispersal extending from the Arctic Sea, along the Palaeopacific coast of the North American continent and northern Pangea into the Neuquen Basin of Argentina [96,97] and so-called the 'Hispanic corridor', a largely epicontinental seaway allowing for the exchange of fauna between the Eastern Palaeopacfic and the Western Tethys basins between Gondwana and Eastern Laurasia [97][98][99][100][101][102][103]. Other ichthyosaur genera with a wide distribution appear to be restricted to the Northern Hemisphere at high latitudes, dispersing via small seaways located between the Artic Sea, West Siberian Sea, Middle Russian Sea, Polish Sea, Anglo-Paris Basin and the Palaeo-Atlantic Ocean [97]. ...
A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur, Thalassodraco etchesi gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Dorset, UK is described. The specimen, a partial, articulated skull and anterior thorax in the Etches Collection of Kimmeridge, Dorset, is exceptionally well preserved on a slab of laminated coccolith limestone and has been expertly prepared. It comprises a near complete skull in articulation with associated anterior vertebral column and dorsal ribs, complete pectoral girdle, fully exposed left forelimb, and some elements of the right forelimb. Other elements present, including an ischiopubis are preserved on separate slabs. Presumed rapid burial of the anterior portion of the specimen in the coccolith substrate has preserved a number of ossified ligaments lying across the ver-tebral column and associated ribs as well as stomach contents and decayed internal organs. Aspects of the dentition, skull roof bones and the forelimb configuration distinguishes the new specimen from previously described Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs. Autopmorphies for T. etchesi include a large rounded protuberance on the supratemporal bone; a thin L-shaped lachrymal, with a steeply curved posterior border;~70 teeth on the upper tooth row, and deep anterior dorsal ribs. A well resolved phylogenetic analysis shows T. etchesi as a member of a basal clade within Ophthalmosauridae comprising Nannopterygius, Gengasaurus, Paraophthalmosaurus and Thalassodraco. The new specimen adds to the diversity of the Ichthyopterygia of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation and emphasises the important contribution of amateur collectors in palaeontology.
Two fragmentary Plesiosauria (marine reptile) flippers are described from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) marine deposits of western Cuba. The specimens, despite being fragmentary and remineralized, can be assigned to the Plesiosauria based on the distinctive morphology of the phalanges. These remains, originally discovered during the 20th century, had not been previously studied. They provide another clue in the understanding of the Late Jurassic vertebrate fossil record of Cuba and the paleo-Caribbean.
Remains of Cretaceous vertebrates have been scarce in the fossil record of Cuba, but recent exploration of Upper Cretaceous outcrops in the central part of the island has led to the discovery of new fossil-bearing deposits from nearshore depositional environments. Here, we report upon two isolated marginal teeth, which we identified as belonging to the genus Mosasaurus. The specimens described here, recovered from two upper Campanian – lower Maastrichtian outcrops in central Cuba, represent the first record of mosasaurs from the West Indies, and along with other marine fossils suggest that the Caribbean played an important role in the faunal interconnection across seaways and oceans in the region.
Metriorhynchidae is an extinct group of Jurassic–Cretaceous crocodylomorphs that developed a fully pelagic lifestyle. Its Jurassic record is outstanding (it includes around 40 nominal species), while the records that can be restricted to the Cretaceous are particularly sparse. Here we describe a partial skull of a new species of Cricosaurus, Cricosaurus puelchorum sp. nov., from the lower Berriasian of the Vaca Muerta Formation (Neuquén Basin, Argentina). The description of the specimen reveals a series of autapomorphies and a unique combination of characters that justify the creation of a new species. Phylogenetic analysis places Cricosaurus puelchorum sp. nov. closer to three upper Kimmeridgian–lower Tithonian species of southern Germany. The new taxon was recovered in connection with an accurate ammonoid-based biostratigraphic control and allows confirming the survival of Cricosaurus across the J/K boundary at the southeastern Pacific.
The Cretaceous sedimentary sequence at Punta Gorda in southern Belize corresponds only partially to the known stratigraphic column of the Maya Block. In addition to dolomites and anhydrites of the Coban Formation (Aptian-Santonian), rudist-bearing shallow-water carbonates of the Campur Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian), and the siliciclastic flysch sequence of the Sepur Formation (Maastrichtian-Eocene), pelagic limestones and limestones of debris-flow origin are present at Punta Gorda. They are of Berriasian- Valanginian and Aptian-Albian ages. Today, they are thrust onto dolomites of the Coban Formation and shales of the Sepur Formation. The pelagic limestones are similar in age and lithology to the sedimentary sequence of southwestern Cuba and suggest a common depositional area on the eastern margin of the Maya Block in the Proto-Caribbean Basin.
The oldest Jurassic marine pleurodire is reported from the Jagua Formation in western Cuba. These remains are from levels of middle and late Oxfordian age. This turtle represents a new genus and species, Caribemys oxfordiensis . A phylogenetic hypothesis is proposed, whereby Caribemys is considered to be the sister group of Notoemys Cattoi and Freiberg, 1961, plus the Eupleurodira Gaffney and Meylan, 1988. The occurrence of Caribemys oxfordiensis n. gen. and sp. in the Jagua Formation along with plesiosauroids, pliosauroids, ophthalmosaurian ichthyosaurs, and metriorhynchid crocodiles, strongly suggests that during the Oxfordian a marine seaway was present in the Caribbean, connecting the western Tethys with the Pacific Ocean.
