Shrinking the World's Largest Dinosaur Tracks: Observations on the Ichnotaxonomy of Gigantosauropus asturiensis and Hispanosauropus hauboldi from the Upper Jurassic of Asturias, Spain

摘要

The type material of the ichnospecies Gigantosauropus asturiensis Mensink and Mertmann 1984 is re-examined and shown to represent a sauropod rather than a theropod. This interpretation confirms the recent suggestions of several authors. We describe the trackway in detail but conclude that it is not diagnostic at any taxonomic level, below the general category of sauropod. Thus, G. asturiensis may legitimately be considered a nomen dubium, and the name should be restricted to the original material and not extended to formally describe other poorly preserved specimens. Claims that the largest pes tracks are 1.35 or even 1.5 m in length are incorrect. Pes length ranges from 98-125 cm (mean 110.75 cm).