The Palaeontological Association 63rd Annual Meeting 15th–21st December 2019 University of Valencia, Spain PROGRAMME ABSTRACTS AGM papers Palaeontological Association 6 ANNUAL MEETING ANNUAL MEETING Palaeontological Association 1 The Palaeontological Association 63rd Annual Meeting 15th–21st December 2019 University of Valencia The programme and abstracts for the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Association are provided after the following information and summary of the meeting. An easy-to-navigate pocket guide to the Meeting is also available to delegates. Venue The Annual Meeting will take place in the faculties of Philosophy and Philology on the Blasco Ibañez Campus of the University of Valencia. The Symposium will take place in the Salon Actos Manuel Sanchis Guarner in the Faculty of Philology. The main meeting will take place in this and a nearby lecture theatre (Salon Actos, Faculty of Philosophy). There is a Metro stop just a few metres from the campus that connects with the centre of the city in 5-10 minutes (Line 3-Facultats). Alternatively, the campus is a 20-25 minute walk from the ‘old town’. Registration Registration will be possible before and during the Symposium at the entrance to the Salon Actos in the Faculty of Philosophy. During the main meeting the registration desk will continue to be available in the Faculty of Philosophy. Oral Presentations All speakers (apart from the symposium speakers) have been allocated 15 minutes. It is therefore expected that you prepare to speak for no more than 12 minutes to allow time for questions and switching between presenters. We have a number of parallel sessions in nearby lecture theatres so timing will be especially important. All lecture theatres have an AV projector linked to a large screen. All presentations should be in PowerPoint or PDF format. Those not submitted prior to the meeting to Carlos Martínez Pérez must now be uploaded to the local system and checked. This should be done as soon as possible, and at least an hour before the allotted time for the presentation. Poster presentations Poster boards will accommodate an A0-sized poster presented in portrait format only. Pins to affix your poster to the boards are available. Posters are displayed in the Faculty of Philosophy. Please put up your posters either on Wednesday afternoon or first thing Thursday morning (between 08.00 and 08.45). Travel grants to student members Students who have been awarded a PalAss travel grant should see the Executive Officer Dr Jo Hellawell at the Association’s stand to receive their reimbursement. Palaeontological Association 2 ANNUAL MEETING Childcare There are baby-changing facilities on campus, and a nursing room can be made available as required. Accessibility All buildings in the University are accessible via ramps and/or lifts. For assistance during the meeting please speak to volunteers at the registration desk in the Faculty of Philosophy. Valencia Valencia is located on Spain’s eastern coast, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the centre of the Gulf of Valencia. Its architecture dates from the first century BC to the most futuristic 21st century designs, combining history, tradition and modernity in an unusual way. Beaches bathed by the Mediterranean Sea are just 15 minutes from the city centre, near to the Marina Real Juan Carlos I, where an abundance of restaurants, pubs and music await. In addition, the city boasts wide-ranging environmental aspects due to its proximity to the Albufera nature reserve (cradle of the most famous Spanish dish, ‘la Paella’) and more centrally its green lung, located in the old Turia riverbed that crosses the city centre from east to west. Valencia is a city experienced in accommodating all kinds of events, with a reputation as one of the most complete and versatile destinations on the continent. We hope you enjoy your stay. Sponsors The organizers of the Annual Meeting gratefully acknowledge the support of: • Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva • Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas • Generalitat Valenciana • Transmitting Science • Instituto Geológico y Minero de España • Thermo Fisher Scientific • The Geological Society Publishing House • Taylor and Francis Group • Combined Academic Publishers Ltd • Sociedad Española de Paleontología • Ajuntament de València • Nature Ecology and Evolution • Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Valencia • The Paleontological Institute • Royal Society Publishing • Biology — MDPI • Museu de la Universitat de València: Història Natural ANNUAL MEETING Palaeontological Association 3 Palaeontological Association 4 ANNUAL MEETING The Palaeontological Association thanks the Organizing Committee: Co-Chairs: • Dr Carlos Martinez-Perez • Dr Hector Botella Sevilla Committee: • Dr Hugo Corbí • Prof. Jose Ignacio Valenzuela Rios • Dr Samuel Zamora • Prof. Philip Donoghue • Dr Humberto Ferron • Prof. Emily Rayfield • Dr Soledad De Esteban-Trivigno • Dr Jau-Chin Liao • Dr Alice Giannetti • Dr Rachel Warnock • Mrs Esther Manzanares Student-collaborators: • Castor Armañanzas Alpuente • Alvaro Simarro Cano • Fernando Antonio Martín-Arnal • Oscar Caballero Chorda • Rafel Matamales • Belen Roqueta • Maria Victoria Paredes Aliaga • Jose Luis Herraiz • Sergio Álvarez Parra • Mireia Costa Perez • Gonçalo Gomes Silvério • Adrian Martinez Campoy Palaeontological Association 6 ANNUAL MEETING Summary of Schedule Sunday 15th to Tuesday 17th December: Pre-conference field-trip A three-day pre-conference field-trip will visit the Palaeozoic series of the Iberian Range, visiting numerous palaeontological sites ranging from the Lower Cambrian to the Middle Devonian in the neighbouring provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza. This trip will depart on 15th December early in the morning from Valencia, and return on the 17th late in the afternoon, arriving in time to check in and relax before the beginning of the Annual Meeting. The field-trip fees include three days of meals, transport, the field-trip guide and all accommodation for the duration. Field-trip leader: Samuel Zamora. Wednesday 18th December: Workshops, Symposium and Reception The morning of 18th December features six workshops led by specialists from Transmitting Science on the application of analytical techniques for the study of fossils. See below for more details. The meeting will begin with a symposium entitled “Virtual Palaeontology”. Registration will be available from 12.00 to 17.30 in the Faculty of Philosophy. Following the symposium there will be an icebreaker reception from 18.00 to 21.00 at the Natural Sciences Museum of Valencia at Jardines del Real. Thursday 19th December: Conference, AGM, Annual Address and Annual Dinner Registration will be open from 08.00 in the Faculty of Philosophy. The conference will start at 09.00 in the faculties of Philology and Philosophy. Talks will be held in double and single sessions in two lecture theatres, Salon Actos Manuel Sanchis Guarner in Philology and Salon Actos in Philosophy, which are close to one other. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 14.45 followed by a brief coffee break, returning for the Annual Address at 16.00. Posters will be set up in the Faculty of Philosophy where lunch and coffee breaks will also be held. Please note that lunch and refreshments are included in the registration fee. An informal Diversity in Palaeontology meet-up will be held during the Thursday lunch break and anyone is welcome to attend. The afternoon will have a dedicated poster session (17.00–18.00) in the Faculty of Philosophy where drinks will be served. The Annual Dinner will be held at the Albufera nature reserve, beginning at 20.00. The dinner will feature a three-course meal accompanied by drinks, an open cash bar and the venue is ours until 01.00. The meeting point for transport to the venue is at the Faculty of Philosophy at 19.30. Coaches will drop people back there starting return trips from around 23.30 onwards. ANNUAL MEETING Palaeontological Association 7 Friday 20th December: Conference and prizes Registration will be open from 08.00 in the Faculty of Philosophy. Talks will begin at 09.00 in double and single sessions in the same two lecture theatres as on the previous day. Coffee breaks and lunch will be served at the Faculty of Philosophy, where posters will be on display. Talks will end by 17.30, after which time the conference will close with presentations by the organizing committees of upcoming meetings, the award of the President’s Prize and the Council Poster Prize, and concluding remarks. Saturday 21st December: Post-conference field-trip We will visit the Miocene of the Province of Alicante, taking in the ichonological record of the Cabo de las Huerta close to Alicante, the Messinian coral reef of Santa Pola and the unique Palaeontological Museum of the province in Elche. The field-trip will depart from Valencia in the morning and return there during the evening. Lunch in Elche is included. Departure time is 08.00 from the Faculty of Philology. We are expecting to arrive back in Valencia around 19.30 but will be able to stop in at Alicante Airport en route around 17.00–17.30 if needed. Field-trip leader: Hugo Corbí. Palaeontological Association 8 ANNUAL MEETING Schedule of events and timetable of presentations Sunday 15th to Tuesday 17th December Pre-conference field-trip The pre-conference field-trip will depart from Valencia on 15th December early in the morning, and return on the 17th late in the afternoon. Field-trip leader: Samuel Zamora. Wednesday 18th December Pre-meeting