The Cerro del Pueblo Formation is a geological formation in Saltillo, capital city of the state of Coahuila, Mexico, whose strata date back to the latest Campanian of the Late Cretaceous, just before the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel et al., 2004, pp.574-588 The formation is believed to correlate with the Baculites reesidesi and Baculites jenseni ammonite zones, which dates it to 73.63-72.74 Ma.
The Cerro del Pueblo Formation includes marine, brackish, and non-marine environments, and was laid down in a coastal lowland environment, with Coahuila being on the edge of the Western Interior Seaway at the time. Fossils are abundant in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation, and include dinosaurs and other vertebrates, plants and seeds, and invertebrates including oysters, snails, and other molluscs. The formation is underlain by the Parras Shale and is overlain by the Cerro Huerta Formation.
Paleobiota Dinosaurs Ornithischians Remains of the following ornithischians have been found in the formation:
Ankylosaurs Ankylosaurs of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus Species Material Notes ImagesAnkylosauriaIndeterminateA femur fragment, phalanx and a possible osteoderm.Indeterminate ankylosaur remains.AnkylosauridaeIndeterminateOsteoderms.Indeterminate ankylosaurid remains.NodosauridaeIndeterminateA caudal vertebra, osteoderms and a tooth.Indeterminate nodosaurid remains.
Ceratopsians Ceratopsians of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus Species Material Notes ImagesCentrosaurinaeIndeterminateA partial right squamosal.Probably represents a new taxon.CeratopsidaeIndeterminateSquamosal fragment, metatarsal, metacarpal, sacral vertebrae, proximal end of femora, proximal end of ulna, possible frill fragments and teeth.Indeterminate ceratopsid remains.ChasmosaurinaeIndeterminateSupraorbital horncores, an orbit, dorsal vertebra, indeterminate cranial fragments, limb bones, and unspecified postcranial elements pertaining to juvenile specimens.Indeterminate chasmosaurine remains belonging to juvenile specimens.
Ornithopods Ornithopods of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus Species Material Notes Images Coahuilasaurus C. lipani Skull and jaw bones A kritosaurin hadrosaurid HadrosauridaeIndeterminateA braincase, postorbital, quadrate, laterosphenoid, dentaries, mandibles, maxillae, cervical vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, caudal vertebrae, neural spines, ribs, ilium, femora, fibulae, tibiae, humeri, ulnae, metatarsals, metacarpals, pedal phalanxes, pedal phalanges, pedal ungula, phalanges, phalanxes, various bone fragments, fibulae, scapulae, radii, coracoids, astragali, indeterminate pelvic bones, ossified tendons, isolated teeth and integumentary impressions.Indeterminate hadrosaurid remains from numerous specimens. Kritosaurus K. navajovius Predentary, symphyseal processes, rostral portion of dental battery of dentaries, rostral region of premaxillae, and fragments of maxilla. A kritosaurin hadrosaurid, originally referred to K. navajovius, but reclassified to Coahuilasaurus.LambeosaurinaeIndeterminateMaxillae, premaxillae, quadrate, partial braincase, dentaries, cervical vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, caudal vertebrae, neural spines, ribs, ilia, ischium, femora, fibulae, tibiae, humeri, ulnae, metatarsals, metacarpals, pedal phalanges, phalanges, pedal unguals, astragali, radii, scapulae, pubes and other unprepared elements.Indeterminate lambeosaurine remains from numerous specimens, including a large hadrosaurid. Latirhinus L. uitstlaniCaudal vertebrae, scapulae, humeri, ulnae, coracoid, metacarpals, manual ungual, ilia, ischia, femora, tibiae, fibula, and astragalus. Holotype specimen is chimeric as it consists of multiple individuals. Some material from the holotype specimen is assigned to Lambeosaurinae indet. and Saurolophinae indet..SaurolophinaeIndeterminateA braincase, brain endocast, dentaries, maxillae, cervical vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, caudal vertebrae, chevrons, neural spines, ribs, ilium fragments, femora, fibulae, tibiae, humeri, ulnae, metatarsals, phalanges, phalanxes, scapulae, a possible coracoid, radii, ossified tendons, and undescribed juvenile specimens.Indeterminate saurolophine remains from numerous specimens, including juvenile individuals.TlatolophusT. galorumAn almost complete skull, mandible, partial ilium, partial ischium, a femur, scapula, coracoid, sacral vertebrae, caudal vertebrae, and chevrons.A parasaurolophin hadrosaur, closely related to Charonosaurus and Blasisaurus.VelafronsV. coahuilensisDentaries, predentaries, ceratobranchial, premaxillae, maxillae, jugal, quadrate, nasal, skull roof, cervical vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, caudal vertebrae, neural arches, cervical ribs, ribs, chevrons, scapula, coracoids, humeri, ulnae, radii, metacarpals, manual phalanges, ilium, ischia, pubes, femora, tibiae, astragalus, metatarsals and pedal phalanges.A lambeosaurine hadrosaurid known only from a juvenile specimen.
Thescelosaurids Thescelosaurids of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus Species Material Notes ImagesThescelosauridaeIndeterminateA right premaxillary tooth and a posterior sacral vertebral centrum.Indeterminate thescelosaurid remains.
Theropods Remains of the following theropods have been found in the formation: Theropods of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus Species Material Notes ImagesCaenagnathidaeIndeterminate3 tibia fragments, distal, proximal and medial shaft elements respectively.An oviraptorosaur. Two different morphotypes are suggested: a small one, less than a meter in length. And a big morphotype, almost reaching two meters.DromaeosaurinaeIndeterminateA pedal ungual and dentary teeth.Indeterminate dromaeosaurine remains. Labocania L. aguillonaeA partial skeletonA teratophonein tyrannosaurine Mexidracon M. longimanus A partial skeleton A ornithomimid theropod Paraxenisaurus P. normalensis Caudal vertebrae, femur, peses, manual phalanxes, manual ungual, tarsals, metatarsals, metacarpals, pedal phalanx, pedal phalanges, and pedal unguals.Represents the first known deinocheirid from North America.cf. RichardoestesiaIndeterminateA tooth.A taxon only known from teeth."Saltillomimus""S. rapidus"Partial skeleton.An informally named ornithomimosaur.SaurornitholestinaeIndeterminateA pedal ungual, manual unguals and teeth.Indeterminate saurornitholestine remains.TheropodaIndeterminate A neural arch, complete and fragmented pedal and manual phalanxes, manual unguals, unspecified vertebra, complete and fragmented caudal vertebrae, chevron, proximal end of femur, and unidentified bone fragments.Indeterminate theropod remains.TroodontidaeIndeterminateA pedal phalanx and a tooth.Indeterminate troodontid remains.TyrannosauridaeIndeterminateA caudal vertebra, indeterminate vertebrae, tibia, fibula, fragments of ungual phalanges, phalanges, and teeth.Indeterminate tyrannosaurid remains.XenovenatorX. espinosaiA skull roof and braincase; isolated frontalsA troodontid with an expanded skull roof
Pterosaurs Pterosaurs of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Taxa Presence Description Images Ichnogenus: PteraichnusLockley, M.; Harris, J.D.; and Mitchell, L. 2008. "A global overview of pterosaur ichnology: tracksite distribution in space and time." Zitteliana. B28. p. 187-198. . Saltillo, Coahuila Specimens kept at the Dinosaur Tracks Museum, of the University of Colorado at Denver and the Secretaría de Educación Pública de Coahuila, Mexico; might also represent Haenamichnus.
Turtles Turtles of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus SpeciesMaterial Notes Images MexichelysM. coahuilaensis New genus for Euclastes coahuilaensis, sea turtle ChedighaiiC. hutchisoni A bothremydid turtle Yelmochelys Y. rosarioae A stem-kinosternid turtle
Fish Fish of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus SpeciesMaterial Notes Images LepisosteusL. sp. AmiidaeIndet.
Fossil eggs Porituberoolithus sp. Spheroolithus sp. ?Prismatoolithus sp.
Mammals Mammals of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation Genus SpeciesMaterial Notes ImagesCimolomyidae indet.A cimolomyid multituberculate.PediomysP. cf. elegansA pediomyid tribosphenidan.Taeniolabidoidae indet.A taeniolabidoid multituberculate.TurgidodonT. cf. russelliAn alphadontid marsupialiform.
See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Mexico
References
Bibliography
Further reading
J. L. Gudiño Maussán, F. J. Aguilar, and R. Hernández-Rivera. 2018. Aplicación de fotogrametría digital para el registro de las huellas de dinosaurio de la Formación Cerro del Pueblo (Campaniano tardío), Coahuila, México [Application of digital photogrammetry for recording dinosaur footprints of the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (late Campanian), Coahuila, Mexico]. Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana 70(2):307-324 D. Brinkman, M. C. Aguillon-Martinez, J. H. Hutchison and C. M. Brown. 2016. Yelmochelys rosarioae gen. et sp. nov., a stem kinosternid (Testudines; Kinosternidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Coahuila, Mexico. PaleoBios 33(30601):1-20 A. A. Ramírez-Velasco, R. Hernández-Rivera, and R. Servin-Pichardo. 2014. The hadrosaurian record from Mexico. In D. A. Eberth & D. C. Evans (ed.), Hadrosaurs 340-360 D. Brinkman, M. C. Aquillon-Martinez, C. A. De Leon Dávila, H. Jamniczky, D. A. Eberth and M. Colbert. 2009. Euclastes coahuilaensis sp. nov., a basal cheloniid turtle from the late Campanian Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila State, Mexico. PaleoBios 28(3):76-88 H. E. Rivera-Sylva and B. Espinosa-Chávez. 2006. Ankylosaurid (Dinosauria: Thyreophora) osteoderms from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro de Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico. Carnets de Géologie/Notebooks on Geology Letter(2006/02):1-5 M. Aguillon-Martinez, D. Zelenitsky, D. B. Brinkman and D. A. Eberth. 2004. Eggshell fragments from the uppermost Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous; Mexico). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24(3, suppl.):33A D. Eberth, S. D. Sampson, R. A. Rodriguez-De La Rosa, M. Aguillon-Martinez, D. B. Brinkman and J. Lopez-Espinoza. 2003. Las Aguilas: an unusually rich Campanian-age vertebrate locale in southern Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23(3):47A R. A. Rodríguez-de la Rosa, D. A. Eberth, D. B. Brinkman, S. D. Sampson, and J. López-Espinoza. 2003. Dinosaur tracks from the late Campanian Las Aguilas locality, southeastern Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23(3):90A J. I. Kirkland and M. C. Aguillón-Martínez. 2002. Schizorhiza: a unique sawfish paradigm from the Difunta Group, Coahuila, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas 19(1):16-24 R. A. Rodriguez-de la Rosa and S. R. S. Cevallos-Ferriz. 1998. Vertebrates of the El Pelillal locality (Campanian, Cerro del Pueblo Formation), southeastern Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18(4):751-764 R. Hernández-Rivera. 1997. Mexican dinosaurs. In P. J. Currie & K. Padian (ed.), Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs 433-437 R. A. Rodriguez-de la Rosa and S. R. S. Cevallos-Ferriz. 1994. Upper Cretaceous Zingiberalean fruits with in situ seeds from Southeastern Coahuila, Mexico. International Journal of Plant Sciences 155(6):786-805 R. Hernández and J. I. Kirkland. 1993. The rediscovery of a rich uppermost Campanian dinosaur locality in the Cerro del Pueblo Fm., Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 13(3, suppl.):41A G. E. Murray, D. R. Boyd, J. A. Wolleben and J. A. Wilson. 1960. Late Cretaceous fossil locality, eastern Parras Basin, Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of Paleontology 34(2):368-370