The Macro-Flora from the Middle–Late Cenomanian Paleontological Area of Algora (Guadalajara, Central Spain) and Its Paleobiogeographical and Paleoenvironmental Implications

The middle-late Cenomanian paleontological area of Algora represents the main concentration of vertebrate remains from the basal Late Cretaceous for southwestern Europe. An unpublished macro-plant assemblage is studied here, being recognized as composed of ferns, conifers, and various other types of gymnosperms and angiosperms, constituting the first well-defined reference of a Cenomanian macro-flora in Spain. Comparison of this assemblage with other coeval ones from the western Tethys region suggests a possible influence of both Central European Laurasian plant elements and those from northern Gondwana (originating in North Africa and the Middle East) in this area of the Iberian Plate, a key region for understanding the dispersal of fauna and flora during the early Late Cretaceous.