New records of vertebrate fossils in the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Basin, Upper Cretaceous) at Campina Verde, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Vertebrate fossils from the continental Upper Cretaceous deposits in the region of Pontal do Triangulo Mineiro (Minas Gerais State, Brazil) have been known since 1930. This sedimentary succession includes deposits of the Adamantina Formation of the Bauru Basin and are represented by thick deposits of coarse sandstones, sometimes massive or with cross stratification. Previous records from the Campina Verde area are only related to sauropod dinosaurs that were preserved in fluvial channel deposits of the Adamantina Formation. Recent field expeditions in two new fossilbearing areas where sedimentary rocks of this unit are exposed at Campina Verde (Pontal do Triangulo Mineiro, state of Minas Gerais) provided important data on vertebrate fossil assemblages. Fluvial channel deposits were studied and revealed an assemblage composed of 20 fossil specimens, mainly vertebrae, bones, scales, and teeth. The sampled fossils include two dinosaur taxa, among which is the first possible Abelisauridae. These new findings refine the record of the vertebrate fauna from the Adamantina Formation at Campina Verde, and open promissory avenues for the study of the Upper Cretaceous biota in terms of associated fauna, taphonomy and paleoecology.