Lourinhã Formation

The Lourinhã Formation is a fossil rich geological formation in western Portugal, named for the municipality of Lourinhã. The formation is Late Jurassic in age (Kimmeridgian/Tithonian) and is notable for containing a fauna similar to that of the Morrison Formation in the United States and the Tendaguru beds in Tanzania. The stratigraphy of the formation and the basin in general is disputed, with the constituent member beds belonging to the formation varying between different authorsLusitanosaurusDacentrurusDracopeltaAlocodonTrimucrodonTaveirosaurusHypsilophodonPhyllodonDryosaurusDraconyxIguanodonSupersaurusLourinhasaurusPleurocoelusLusotitanCeratosaurusTorvosaurusLourinhanosaurusAllosaurusCompsognathusStokesosaurusRichardoestesiaEuronychodonParonychodonAvesAbelisauridae indet.IntermediateTeeth; ML 966, Ml 327.Potentially diagnostic abelisaur teeth.AllosaurusA. europaeusPorto Novo MemberTwo specimens, covering much of the body.Potentially a synonym of the type species, A. fragilis.A. fragilisPorto Novo MemberTwo specimens, covering much of the body.Now thought to represent a distinct species of Allosaurus, A. europaeus.CeratosaurusC. dentisulcatusFour specimens; teeth, a femur.Potentially a synonym of the type species, C. nasicornis. Sometimes referred to as C. sp., giving indication of possible distinctiveness or of being intermediate.LourinhanosaurusL. antunesiThree individuals, one largely complete; over 100 eggs with significant amount of skeletal material.Has come out in various places in the tree, erroneously said to be a megalosaur, mostly accepted to be a carnosaur, probably allosauroid, or basal coelurosaur. Currently unstable on the tree.MegalosaurusM. insignisTeeth.Invalid. Teeth belong to various other theropod taxa.M. pombaliTeeth.Invalid. Teeth belong to various other theropod taxaM. sp.Tooth fragment.Invalid; Dubious.RichardoestesiaR. aff. gilmoreiTooth; ML 939Only definite record of this taxon is from the Late Cretaceous of North America, despite erroneous and referrals from other sites in Portugal. Probably a close relative of Richardoestesia and not an actual representation of the taxon.TorvosaurusT. gurneyiMaxilla, Teeth, Femur; Egg clutch and embryos.Largest known European theropod. Previous known as Portugal populations of the type species, or as T. sp., before description in early 2014.T. tanneriMaxilla, Teeth, Femur; Probable embryo.Now described as a distinct species of Torvosaurus, T. gurneyi. Sometimes referred to as T. sp. in the past.DinheirosaurusD. lourinhanensisAmoreira-Porta Novo MemberOne specimen. Vertebrae; potentially other parts of the body.Junior synonym of Supersaurus.Diplodocidae indet.IntermediateOne Dorsal VertebraRegarded by Mannion et al. (2012) as being unique from Dinheirosaurus and possibly indicating another diplodocid in the formation, but being non-diagnostic it doesn't warrant description.LourinhasaurusL. alenquerensisLusotitanL. atalaiensisFragmentary material.A large brachiosaur, a close relative of Brachiosaurus proper.SupersaurusS. lourinhanensisAmoreira-Porta Novo MemberOne specimen. Vertebrae; potentially other parts of the body.Previously Dinheirosaurus. Tschopp et al. (2015) sunk the genus into Supersaurus.ZbyZ. atlanticusAmoreira-Porto Novo MemberHolotype: Tooth, cervical neutral arch, forelimb, various other fragments.No described close relatives from the Morrison Formation or Tendaguru beds; instead allied to other European taxa. Note however teeth from the Tendaguru beds might belong to Turiasauria, as Zby.TrimucrodonT. cuneatusAmoreira-Porto Novo MemberAlocodonA. kuehneiDacentrurusD. armatusDeltapodusD. brodrickiEleven tracks; Nine pes and two manus prints.The tracks can be separated into three different morphologies, though all fall within range of the taxon. Association of the pes and manus tracks to the same taxon cannot be directly supported. Preserve various well preserved skin impressions. Largest prints are larger than those from the type horizon. The tracks are individually represented and do not form any sort of trackway, thought one print is associated with giant ornithopod track, potentially representing that the creatures were traveling together or were otherwise going to a similar location. Another is similarly associated with theropod and sauropod prints.DracopeltaD. zbyszewskiiMiragaiaM. longicollumHolotype, neck, partial skull, forelimbs, ribs. Tentative juvenile specimen assigned to this taxon.Stegosaur with unusually long neck of 17 cervicals, with more neck vertebrae than most sauropods.StegosaurusS. cf. ungulatusCamptosaurusIntermediateLimb material.Now referred to its own genus, Draconyx, along with some other material.DraconyxD. loureiroiBombarral MemberTwo specimens; holotype, relatively incomplete, and a femur.DryosaurusD. sp.Sobral UnitOrnithopoda indet.IntermediateSingle track.Gigantic track indicating an ornithopod with a hip height of 2.5 meters. No known Jurassic Ornithopod reaches this size; only known evidence for such sizes in this group at the time. Found alongside Deltapodus print.PhyllodonP. henkelli.HaldanodonHaldanodon expectatusPartial skeleton and isolated bonesSemi-aquatic forager.NanolestesNanolestes drescheraeRight lower molar.Amphitheriidae; small omnivore or insectiore.DryolestesDryolestes leiriensisLeft mandible.Dryolestidae; insectivore or omnivore.GuimarotodusGuimarotodus inflatusRight mandible.Dryolestidae; insectivore or omnivore.KrebsotheriumKrebsotherium lusitanicumLeft mandible.Dryolestidae; insectivore or omnivore.DrescheratheriumDrescheratherium acutumUpper jaw.Paurodontidae; herbivore.HenkelotheriumHenkelotherium guimarotaeSemi-complete skeletonPaurodontidae; arboreal insectivore or omnivore.PterophyllumP. mondeguensisP. sp.SphenolepisS. coffati The Lourinhã Formation is a fossil rich geological formation in western Portugal, named for the municipality of Lourinhã. The formation is Late Jurassic in age (Kimmeridgian/Tithonian) and is notable for containing a fauna similar to that of the Morrison Formation in the United States and the Tendaguru beds in Tanzania. The stratigraphy of the formation and the basin in general is disputed, with the constituent member beds belonging to the formation varying between different authors Besides the fossil bones, Lourinhã Formation is well known for the fossil tracks and fossilized dinosaur eggs. The Lourinhã Formation includes several lithostratigraphic units, such as Praia da Amoreira-Porto Novo Members and the Sobral Unit. In a 2003 study, an analysis of all Portuguese dinosaurs was published. The study created a cladogram showing the possible relations of all Portuguese dinosaurs, including those at the time known from the Lourinhã Formation.