Data from: Sauropod tooth morphotypes from the Upper Jurassic of the Lusitanian Basin (Portugal)

The Upper Jurassic of the Lusitanian Basin has yielded an important fossil
record of sauropods, but little information is available about the tooth
morphotypes represented in this region. A large sample of teeth, both
unpublished and published, is described and discussed here. Four main
tooth morphologies are identified: spatulate, heart-shaped, pencil-shaped,
and compressed cone-chisel-shaped. Heart-shaped teeth are considered to be
exclusive to a non-neosauropod eusauropod, tentatively referred to
Turiasauria. The spatulate teeth can be attributed to members of the
Macronaria; they have a complex cingulum, more than one lingual facet and
a labial ridge. The compressed cone-chisel-shaped teeth are also
attributed to macronarians and the presence of an axially twisted apex
through an arc of 30°–45° suggests putative affinities with Europasaurus
and basal titanosauriforms. The variability observed in the overall
morphology and wrinkling pattern of the compressed cone-chisel-shaped
teeth may be due to factors related to the tooth position or to the
ontogeny of individuals. Finally, pencil-shaped teeth with high
slenderness index values, oval and apically located wear facets,
subcylindrical crowns and lacking carinae, are tentatively assigned to
Diplodocoidea. The diversity of tooth morphologies is in accordance with
the known palaeobiodiversity of the Portuguese Late Jurassic sauropod
fauna, which is composed of non-neosauropod eusauropods (turiasaurs),
diplodocoids (diplodocids) and macronarians (camarasaurids and probably
brachiosaurids). The Late Jurassic sauropod fossil record of the Iberian
Peninsula presents the broadest tooth morphospace range in the world from
this period, suggesting a wide niche partition for sauropods, and
corresponding high taxonomic diversity.