The Early Cretaceous lizards of Montsec (Catalonia, Spain)

Abstract

The Lower Cretaceous deposits of Montsec (Catalonia, Spain) have yielded two lizard specimens. One, a partial postcranial skeleton, was named Meyasaurusfaurae by Vidal (1915). The second, a skull, was named Ilerdaesaurus crusafonti by Hoffstetter (1966). There has always been the possibility that the skull and postcranial skeleton belonged to a single genus, but without associated material, the question remained open. New lizard material from the Lower Cretaceous (Late Barremian) lacustrine deposits at Las Hoyas, near Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain), provides the answer. The Las Hoyas lizards combine the skull of Ilerdaesaurus with the postcranial skeleton of Meyasaurus. Meyasaurus Vidal 1915 clearly has priority over Ilerdaesaurus Hoffstetter 1966, and the latter becomes a junior synonym.