SOME ADVANCES ON THE STUDY OF CRETACEOUS FOSSIL VERTEBRATES OF MEXICO

The northern region of the State of Coahuila, Mexico, within and around the Municipio de Múzquiz, has been the focus a group of amateur and professional paleontologists concerned in the rescue, preservation, and study the fossils. After 10 years of efforts we have achieved the record of a growing number of fossil localities that now are extended to the central region of Mexico, whose ages range between the Cenomanian to the Maastrichthian, and represent sedimentary units deposited in marine, transitional and continental environments. In these localities a large number of significant fossils have been discovered; some of them represent new species; others complement the geographical and temporal distribution of species already known elsewhere in North America or neighboring areas; and all these together form a peculiar assemblages. Undoubtedly, the Cretaceous vertebrates are the most emblematic paleontological elements of this part of Mexico; they are represented by at least 25 Osteichthyes, Chondrichthyes 13, remains of marine reptiles including mosasaurs, turtles, crocodiles and Pliosaurs and pterodactyls and birds, and dinosaurs and dinosaur tracks. Other representative animal taxa are 9 Cretaceous crustacean already described from localities within Coahuila State, which make this region the most diverse group in every country. Other invertebrate groups, although numerous, have not been well studied; these include ammonites, inoceramid, other bivalves, gastropods, etc. Invertebrates included in Fluorite, the first in the country, are currently subject to different taxonomic research. Among plants Múzquiz is charred and has permineralized copies, representatives of leaves, flowers and wood of various species. The fossil remains of plants also include Cretaceous resins.