Exploring the diversity and disparity of rhabdodontomorph ornithopods from the Late Cretaceous European archipelago.

ABSTRACT: The origin and early diversification of ornithopods, a major clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, remain poorly understood, with conflicting phylogenetic hypotheses regarding rootward neornithischian relationships. Some topological stability is inferred near the basal divergence of Iguanodontia, though the ingroup relationships remain unclear. For instance, Rhabdodontidae, a clade of Late Cretaceous European ornithopods 'traditionally' considered to include eight to nine species, presents significant taxonomic challenges. We explore the diversity and disparity of European Rhabdodon-lineage iguanodontians. We assembled a novel dataset comprising morphological and morphometric data obtained from rhabdodontomorph dentaries, which are abundant, well-preserved in the majority of the taxa, and dist

SUBMITTER: Czepinski L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12044058 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature