New systematic and phylogenetic data about the early Barremian Iguanodon galvensis (Ornithopoda: Iguanodontoidea) from Spain

Abstract

Iguanodon galvensis is the second valid species in the European and Barremian large-ornithopod genus Iguanodon. In the present work, the I. galvensis holotype and referred material from the lower Barremian of Spain are described and discussed in detail. As a result, emended diagnoses of Iguanodon, I. galvensis and I. bernissartensis are proposed; I. galvensis can now be identified by three autapomorphies in the dentary, ischium and femur as well as a unique combination of characters. Moreover, I. galvensis is compared with other European Early Cretaceous large styracosternans. Finally, a new phylogenetic hypothesis is proposed that resolves Iguanodon (I. bernissartensis, I. galvensis) with the Valanginian Barilium dawsoni into a monophyletic clade (Iguanodontoidea).

Keywords:

• Iguanodontoidea
• Iguanodon galvensis
• systematics
• phylogeny
• Barremian

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Municipality of Galve; Pascal Godefroit, Annelise Folie and all the RBINS staff for providing access to the Bernissart material; Carlos Sangüesa for providing access to the collection of the ‘Museu Temps de Dinosaures’, José Miguel Gasulla for providing access to Morelladon beltrani and I. bernissartensis fossils from Morella (Castellón); our Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis colleagues Eduardo Espílez, Ana González and Luis Mampel for their assistance during fieldwork and fossil preparation; and Susana Tejada, Antonio Fontenla and Ricardo García of SIBELCO Minerales Cerámicos S.A for their logistic help in the clay mine. Finally, we appreciate useful comments and suggestions made by the editor Gareth Dyke (Editor-in-Chief) and the two reviewers, Andrew T. McDonald and anonymous.