Exceptional coprolite association from the Early Cretaceous continental Lagerstatte of Las Hoyas, Cuenca, Spain.

ABSTRACT: Coprolites are some of the most abundant fossils at the Las Hoyas site, a well-known Early Cretaceous Konservat-Lagerstätte located in Cuenca, central Spain. The coprolite association is described, introducing taphonomic features and sedimentological properties. This study is based on a subsample of 433 fossils selected from some 2000 specimens collected. The taphonomic features of the coprolites show that their integrity, absence of desiccation marks, and volume are congruent with faeces produced and deposited in an aquatic ecosystem, which were immediately covered by microbial mats. The highest abundance of coprolites, 96%, occurs in layers linked to the presence of microbial mats. Consequently, it is likely that coprolites are taphonomically autochthonous. A dichotomous key has been mad

SUBMITTER: Barrios-de Pedro S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5965836 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature