“Lepidotes” sp. en la Aloformación Valdeprado del Cretácico Inferior (Berriasiense) de la cuenca de Cameros (Cordillera Ibérica, Soria, España)

Abstract

A Lepidotes Agassiz sample (1832) is described coming from the lacustrine limestones of the Valdeprado Aloformation of the Low Cretaceous (Berriasian). The specimen has many of the anatomical features that have been proposed (THIES, 1989; WENZ, 1999; JAIN & ROBINSON, 1963) to identify this genus. Besides it stands out for its small size, for the appearance of a thermal smooth skeleton and for having at first only a couple of extraescapulars. These and other features make it differ from the big Lepidotes of the subgroups of JAIN & ROBINSON (1963) to which they should belong for having the suborbitals (7) only in one row, as the L. mantelli. With almost the same number of suborbitals (6), the head of L. laevis has an anatomy similar to the fish, the purpose of this study, though the dermic skeleton of this one is covered by numerous tubercules of ganoids and has got 3 couples of extraescapulars. As its pecularities do not coincide completely with those of other species of the genus, we consider it to be possibly a new species.