Cretaceous Research最新文献

{"title":"Integrated stratigraphy and paleoceanography across the Santonian/Campanian boundary in the Budva Zone (Dinarides), Montenegro","authors":"Anja Kocjančič ,&nbsp;Maria Rose Petrizzo ,&nbsp;Aleksander Horvat","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106194","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106194","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the 42 m thick Upper Cretaceous sedimentary succession of the Čanj section in the Budva Zone (Dinarides), Montenegro, with a focus on planktonic foraminifera and geochemical characteristics across the Santonian/Campanian boundary. The section features well-preserved red pelagic Scaglia-type limestones with occasional chert intercalations, similar to the Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds (CORBs) observed worldwide. An integrated stratigraphic analysis, including biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy, was conducted to identify isotopic signals and planktonic foraminiferal species that characterize this Tethyan facies, and to locate the Santonian/Campanian boundary. The lithostratigraphic framework of the section includes distinct members (RM1, RM2, and RM3), along with a notable White Member (WM) containing black chert layers. Stable isotopes (δ¹³C_carb and δ¹⁸O_carb) and elemental composition analyses on bulk carbonate samples reveal significant shifts in isotope ratios and element concentrations corresponding to lithologic transitions within the section. The occurrence of the planktonic foraminifera <em>Dicarinella asymetrica</em> in the WM marks an important biostratigraphic interval in the Santonian. The multiproxy approach revealed increased paleobioproductivity and a transgressive sea level phase in the WM during the Santonian in the western Tethys. Geochemical data suggest that the long-term sea-level rise was interrupted by smaller, short-term sea-level falls during the deposition of the studied pelagites. A comparative analysis with other Mediterranean CORBs and the Bottaccione section (Italy) highlights the regional significance of the Čanj sequence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106194"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mono– to pauci-specific communities in the Upper Cretaceous of Wadi Qena, Egypt: The combined effect of food and oxygen deficiency","authors":"Omar El-Issawi ,&nbsp;Tarek Anan ,&nbsp;Heba El-Desouky ,&nbsp;Ahmed Abdelhady ,&nbsp;Hosni Hamama","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the dynamics of ancient marine systems is vital for assessing biodiversity changes in modern ecosystems. This study examines the paleoenvironments of the Upper Cretaceous deposits in the Wadi Qena region (Eastern Desert, Egypt), integrating lithofacies, biofacies, and taphofacies. Based on quantitative analyses of two sections, Wadi Hawashiya and Gabel Qreiya, four firm-bottom and two soft-bottom macrobenthic associations were identified. In Wadi Hawashiya, the <em>Nicaisolopha tissoti</em> association thrived in a shallow, moderate-energy inner ramp lagoonal environment of the Coniacian–Santonian, transitioning to high-energy shoals (calcareous quartz arenite). Two monospecific associations, <em>Pycnodonte</em> (<em>Ph.</em>) <em>vesicularis</em> and <em>Gyrosoria gracilis</em>, along with one pauci-specific <em>Porospherae globularis</em> association, were found in the Campanian–Maastrichtian. These associations indicate a shift to a deeper, outer low-energy ramp environment with a firm substrate and dysoxic, oligotrophic conditions. In Gabel Qreiya, the lower Campanian reflects low-energy tidal flats, while the upper Campanian–lower Maastrichtian contains the <em>Pycnodonte</em> (<em>Ph.</em>) <em>vesicularis</em> association, which lived in a low-energy, firm-bottom inner ramp lagoon. The upper Maastrichtian is dominated by the <em>Lyropecten</em> (<em>A</em>.) <em>acutiplicatus</em> association, which inhabited a deeper outer ramp environment with soft substrates and dysoxic, eutrophic conditions. Overall, the Coniacian–Santonian is marked by higher diversity, while the Campanian–Maastrichtian is characterized by reduced diversity and a dominance of suspension feeders. This shift is interpreted as the result of a combined effect of oxygen deficiency and food shortage, likely caused by a sudden deepening from inner ramp lagoons to outer ramp settings, alongside with declining trophic resources, and oxygen levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106196"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144580690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new dentalite, Piscidenticulus callapezi igen. et isp. nov., on a crocodylomorph coprolite from the Upper Cretaceous of west-central Portugal","authors":"Ricardo J. Pimentel ,&nbsp;Adrian P. Hunt ,&nbsp;Fernando Barroso-Barcenilla ,&nbsp;Mélani Berrocal-Casero","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recently discovered dentalites preserved on an Upper Cretaceous coprolite are described. The coprolite was likely produced by a crocodylomorph that lived in a shallow water, marginal environment along the West Iberian Margin. The specimen was collected from an uppermost middle Cenomanian carbonate-siliciclastic marine bed, at the base of the Tentúgal Formation (Tentúgal, west-central Portugal). The dentalites exhibit unique characteristics, including sets of straight, parallel, and equidistant grooves, with separations wider than the grooves, themselves. These features support the definition of the new ichnogenus and ichnospecies <em>Piscidenticulus callapezi</em>. The dentalites are interpreted as the result of repeated fish-biting behaviour on the surface of the coprolite, likely in an attempt to obtain food, providing significant data on the scarcely known palaeoethology of Cretaceous homodont marine fishes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106193"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First record of a lungfish (Sarcopterygii: Dipnoi) in the Upper Cretaceous of the Chubut Group, Golfo San Jorge Basin, Argentina. paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic considerations","authors":"Gabriel A. Casal ,&nbsp;Karen M. Panzeri ,&nbsp;Bruno N. Alvarez ,&nbsp;Noelia V. Cardozo ,&nbsp;Julieta L. Caglianone ,&nbsp;Marcelo Luna ,&nbsp;Lucio M. Ibiricu","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106192","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106192","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Here, we describe a tooth plate (UNPSJB-PV 1047), from fluvial sandstones of the “middle section” of the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation exposed in the locality of “Playa Kruger” (Santonian?–lower Maastrichtian?), central Patagonia, Argentina. This a prearticular plate that has been assigned to the genus <em>Metaceratodus</em> and provisionally to the species <em>Metaceratodus kaopen</em>. Shared features include the presence of a lingual edge that tends to be straight and a medial edge that is slightly curved, a long first denticulation with a broad base and no deep wear facets, and an end of the first denticulation without the formation of sinuosities. However, this interpretation is not definitive given the morphological variation of tooth plates within the same species. UNPSJB-PV 1047 represents the first record of these lungfish in the Golfo San Jorge Basin, expanding the geographic distribution of this taxon in South America and contributing to interpretations of its living environment. Its presence increases biodiversity for the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation and supports interpretations of the sedimentary paleoenvironment in the “middle section” of the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation, characterized by fluvial systems that seasonally interrupted their discharge under a warm climate with dry periods, suggesting an optimal environment for the development of lungfish.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106192"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tithonian–Berriasian calpionellid and calcareous dinocyst biostratigraphy, and microfacies in the Torre de’ Busi section (Lombardian Basin, northern Italy)","authors":"Silviya Petrova ,&nbsp;Daniela Reháková ,&nbsp;Elisabetta Erba ,&nbsp;Jacek Grabowski","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106180","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106180","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tithonian and lower Berriasian pelagic carbonate deposits of the Torre de’ Busi section (Lombardian Basin, northern Italy) were studied in detail in terms of their microfacies, calpionellid and calcareous dinocyst biostratigraphy, and integrated with calcareous nannofossils and magnetic stratigraphy.</div><div>Calpionellid zonation was revised, modifying the archival, unpublished data. Three calpionellid zones (Chitinoidella, Crassicollaria and Calpionella) and six subzones (<em>Longicollaria dobeni, Chitinoidella boneti, Tintinnopsella remanei</em>, <em>Crassicollaria intermedia</em>, <em>Calpionella alpina</em> and <em>Remaniella ferasini</em>) were identified, spanning from the topmost lower Tithonian to the lower Berriasian. Correlations between the calpionellid zones and magnetozones combined with calcareous nannofossil zones, are consistent with most Tethyan sections. The base of the <em>C. alpina</em> Subzone is quantitatively illustrated and based on high-resolution frequency analysis of calpionellid taxa.</div><div>Calcareous cysts were studied in the Torre de’ Busi section for the first time. Five calcareous dinoflagellate zones were distinguished. The lower Tithonian contains the <em>Committosphaera pulla</em>–<em>Carpistomiosphaera tithonica, Parastomiosphaera malmica</em> and the lowest part of <em>Colomisphaera tenuis</em> zones. In the upper Tithonian the <em>Colomisphaera tenuis</em>, <em>Colomisphaera fortis</em> and the lower part of <em>Stomiosphaerina proxima</em> zones were documented. The upper part of the <em>St</em>. <em>proxima</em> Zone is present in the lower Berriasian. The calcareous dinocyst zones and their correlation with magnetozones align well with available Tethyan records.</div><div>The Torre de’ Busi section represents a fully pelagic environment with a relatively large amount of radiolarians and sponge spicules. A major microfacies change, from radiolarian to calpionellid-dominated microfacies, occurs in the upper Tithonian (base of the <em>Cr</em>. <em>intermedia</em> Subzone, base M19r), close to the base of the Maiolica Formation. This level is characterized by a decrease in calcareous dinocyst frequencies, and an increase in calpionellids, which correlates with a major speciation phase of nannoconids.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106180"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pneumatic structures of sauropod cervical vertebrae from the Lower Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of northeastern Thailand","authors":"Kasidit Eiamlaor ,&nbsp;Suravech Suteethorn ,&nbsp;Phornphen Chanthasit ,&nbsp;Varavudh Suteethorn ,&nbsp;Kantapon Suraprasit","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106189","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106189","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Internal structures of sauropod vertebrae are hollowed out by pneumatic diverticular systems similar to extant birds. Their vertebral columns contain extensive air sac systems that are highly prominent in the cervical regions. Here we analyze the pneumatic structures in the cervical vertebrae of two sauropod taxa: <em>Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae</em> and a diplodocoid sauropod, from the Lower Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of northeastern Thailand, using a CT-scan technique. The internal pneumatic structures of <em>P. sirindhornae</em> mainly consisted of camerae within the centrum and systems of camellae in the articulation regions, representing a semicamellate pattern. The diplodocoid sauropod exhibited a camerate pattern with its centrum filled with only pneumatic camerae. The semicamallate pattern of <em>Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae</em> is similar to that of <em>Brachiosaurus</em> sp. and <em>Giraffatitan brancai,</em> differing from previous interpretations that suggested a close relationship to somphospondyls. Due to the more primitive internal structures of <em>Phuwiangosaurus</em><em>sirindhornae</em>, we instead propose that <em>Phuwiangosaurus</em> is a non-somphospondyl titanosauriform more closely related to brachiosaurids. In the Sao Khua diplodocoid sauropod, the vertebral pneumatization was much higher than in dicraeosaurids but less intense than in most neosauropods. The presence of a semicamellate pattern in <em>Phuwiangosaurus</em> extends the temporal range of such a condition to the Early Cretaceous, while the camerate pattern of the Sao Khua diplodocoid suggests that Cretaceous dicraeosaurids likely had a varying degree of pneumaticity, which might have evolved independently in their lineages.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106189"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144492176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Side by side with titans: A new rebbachisaurid dinosaur from the Huincul Formation (upper Cenomanian) of Patagonia, Argentina","authors":"Flavio Bellardini ,&nbsp;Leonardo S. Filippi ,&nbsp;José L. Carballido ,&nbsp;Alberto C. Garrido ,&nbsp;Mattia A. Baiano","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rebbachisaurids are medium to large-sized, non-selective and ground-level browser diplodocoid sauropods, and they are characterised by highly specialised skulls, widely pneumatized axial elements and gracile appendicular skeletons. Known from the Early Cretaceous to the early Late Cretaceous, the rebbachisaurid fossil record is particularly diversified in Gondwana, with several specimens found in North Africa and South America. Notably, Patagonia has yielded over more than half of all known Rebbachisauridae, including the most basal forms and the youngest rebbachisaurid remains to date. Herein, we describe a new species of Rebbachisauridae from the Huincul Formation (upper Cenomanian) of the Neuquén Basin (Patagonia, Argentina): <em>Astigmasaura genuflexa</em> gen. et sp. nov. New laboratory work provided the complete osteology of the specimen MAU-Pv-EO-629, complementing the previously published hind limb anatomy. Thus, the type material of <em>Astigmasaura</em> comprises the posterior portion of an articulated, postcranial skeleton of a single, morphologically adult individual. <em>Astigmasaura</em> shares different conditions with other Rebbachisauridae, including anterior caudal vertebrae with tall neural spines and tetraradiate neural laminae, asymmetric middle haemal arches, mediolaterally compressed proximal tibiae, and femur with medially inclined distal condyles. Furthermore, <em>Astigmasaura</em> shows a unique combination of diagnostic features that distinguish it from all other sauropods. This new record not only provides new morphological information about the caudal and pelvic girdle anatomy of Rebbachisauridae, which is poorly known to date, and suggests a greater taxonomic diversification within the family during the last stages of its evolutionary history than known before.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106188"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vertebrate coprolites from the marine Upper Cretaceous of Coimbra (west-central Portugal): Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological significance","authors":"Ricardo J. Pimentel ,&nbsp;Pedro Callapez ,&nbsp;Fernando Barroso-Barcenilla ,&nbsp;Mélani Berrocal-Casero ,&nbsp;Vanda Faria Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106190","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106190","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A collection of 123 non-spiral vertebrate coprolites collected in the Tentúgal Formation from the middle Cenomanian, near Casais dos Carecos (Coimbra, west-central Portugal) is classified into eight different morphotypes (A to H) based on their morphology, size, poles shape, structure, and surface texture. The coprolites are autochthonous or parautochthonous, usually well-preserved without signs of abrasion or significant deformation. Each displays a uniform colouration, with hues ranging smoothly from yellow to reddish-yellow across the assemblage, and show low prevalence of surface traces, reflecting fast burial and a fossilization process under consistent environmental conditions. The calcium-phosphate composition of the coprolites, along with the presence of macro inclusions of bone elements in some specimens, indicates that they were produced by carnivores. The larger coprolites with circumferential constriction could be related to the crocodylomorphs. Other possible producers were marine squamates and teleosts. This study provides more insights into the Cretaceous marine and marginal marine ecosystems of the Aptian-Turonian West Portuguese Carbonate Platform, contributing to our understanding of the palaeoenvironmental conditions and food web interactions within this shallow epicontinental sea from the south European branch of the Tethyan realm.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106190"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The potential of fossil primary feather in taxonomic and ecological prediction","authors":"Jing Zhang ,&nbsp;Baoxia Du ,&nbsp;Jing Peng ,&nbsp;Yiqiao Fu ,&nbsp;Mingzhen Zhang ,&nbsp;Jingjing Cai ,&nbsp;Mingyang Wei ,&nbsp;Aijing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106191","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106191","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Feathers, shaped by the interplay of phylogenetic factors and environmental behaviors, serve not only as critical indicators for avian classification but also as carriers of information regarding flight patterns and ecological habitats. Although isolated fossil feathers are frequently undervalued due to the lack of direct skeletal associations, their well-preserved outline and microstructure can provide critical insights into key issues such as feather evolution, the origin of flight behavior, and taxonomic diversity. In this study, we discovered an exceptionally well-preserved distal primary feather from the Lower Cretaceous in the Jiuquan Basin of northwest China. We extracted the morphological outlines of modern primary feathers for elliptic Fourier analysis and combined microstructural data to test whether feather morphology can be used to distinguish taxonomic groups, orders, and habitats. The results indicate that the flight feather morphology in modern birds is predominantly shaped by flight-related adaptations, with significant morphospace differentiation across flight types and taxonomic orders, while habitat exerts minimal influence on feather architecture. Furthermore, multivariate statistical analyses that incorporate fossil data into modern datasets suggest that the primary feather fossil occupies a morphospace position associated with terrestrial ecological and flight mode similar to that of modern passerine type, indicating a potential association between the fossil feather and enantiornithines. However, accurate identification of fossil feather information requires expanded fossil data collection to uncover further insights embedded within the fossilized feathers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106191"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First dinosaur remains from Serbia: Sauropod and theropod material from the uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Osmakovo","authors":"Zoran Marković ,&nbsp;Miloš Milivojević ,&nbsp;Richard J. Butler ,&nbsp;Paul M. Barrett ,&nbsp;Simon Wills ,&nbsp;Andrew A. van de Weerd ,&nbsp;Wilma Wessels ,&nbsp;Predrag Radović","doi":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diverse and abundant continental vertebrate assemblages are known from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian) of several European countries. They formed on an island archipelago and are marked by their distinctive combination of unusual endemic groups and immigrants from North America, Asia and Gondwana. Although dinosaur fossils have been described from nearby Bulgaria, body fossils of continental vertebrates were previously unknown from the Mesozoic of Serbia. Here, we describe the dinosaurian component of a new vertebrate assemblage from the uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Osmakovo in southeastern Serbia. A single larger bone represents the partial left ulna of a sauropod dinosaur. Its anatomy is suggestive of titanosaurian affinities, although it appears distinct from the titanosaurs <em>Magyarosaurus</em> and <em>Petrustitan</em> from the Maastrichtian of Romania. The small size of this element may indicate its juvenile nature or that it represents an island dwarf similar to <em>Magyarosaurus</em>, but distinguishing these possibilities will require histological work. Sixteen isolated theropod teeth, some incomplete, were recovered by screenwashing and studied using comparative anatomy and machine learning analysis. Nine of these teeth are referred to Dromaeosauridae based on both approaches. Three teeth that are strongly recurved and lack serrations were identified as Aves by machine learning but might alternatively represent dromaeosaurid premaxillary teeth and are thus referred to Paraves. The remaining teeth comprise one specimen of the enigmatic <em>Paronychodon</em> and three too poorly preserved to identify beyond Theropoda. This assemblage shows similarities to contemporaneous assemblages from Romania and suggests the potential for further discoveries in the Mesozoic of Serbia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55207,"journal":{"name":"Cretaceous Research","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 106177"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}