The scientific studies of Lluís Marià Vidal
Paleobatrachus, the beginning of the scientific studies of the quarry
The discovery of Paleobatrachus gaudryi must have been made between the summer of 1900 and the beginning of 1902. Vidal was well aware of the importance of this piece, since at that time the oldest remains of frogs dated from the Eocene. For this reason he sent a plaster copy to Dr. Gaudry. Gaudry confirmed Vidal’s suspicions, confirming that they were dealing with a frog. However, citing lack of time, Gaudry declined to do the study and recommended that he do it himself. Gaudry gave Vidal advice on the preparation of the fossil, made comments on anatomy and also suggestions on the bibliography to consult. According to Gómez and Alba (1997), if we compare the letters sent by Gaudry and the descriptions of Vidal’s work, “we will see that, for the most part, it is Gaudry who speaks”. Following Gaudry’s advice, Vidal prepared the Paleobatrachus, which was broken by a fissure. When he hit him, he also discovered part of his hind limbs and head. Also, according to Gómez and Alba (1997) “it would not be surprising that, despite the care with which the cleaning was carried out, perhaps something more than stone was lost”. The publication of this frog (Vidal 1902) had a great international echo and was the beginning of scientific studies of the fossils of La Pedrera.
The first studies of fish
Before undertaking the study of the frog, in the autumn of 1900, Vidal sent some photographs of fish found in the quarry to the specialist Dr. Sauvage. He identified a Microdon and a Leptolepis, similar to those found in the Solnhofen quarry, so he proposed an Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) age for this site. In 1901, Sauvage himself began the study of fish using the plaster copies that Vidal sent him. Work with this type of material was very difficult and, in September of that same year, Vidal sent 13 originals by train to Sauvage. Subsequently, during October and November, the shipments of fish would be repeated. At the end of November 1901 Sauvage finished his work with the identification of two Lepidotus, a Caturus, a Microdon, a Propterus vidalii, a Leptolepis and two Aethalion (vidali and gigas). It should be noted that the originals were returned by rail in April 1902. According to Gómez y Alba (1997), the reading of Sauvage work at the Royal Academy was not done in 1903, as the date of publication indicates, but in 1902 and was done by Artur Bofill, since Vidal was absent. During the period of printing of the article, Vidal sent him new specimens, among which were the types of Megalurus woodwardi, Undina leridae and Vidalia catalaunica, as well as a Lepidotes and a Spirangium.
Description of the first reptiles
The next study of fish in La Pedrera corresponds to an article by Vidal from 1915. In this publication, in addition to continuing with the study of fish, he inaugurated the herpetological aspect with the description of two new species: Meyasaurus faurae and Alligatorium depereti. This work also describes two new species of fish (Hybodus woodwardi and Megalurus sauvagei).
The case of the Alligatorium is very curious since it is known that this remains had been in Vidal’s possession since 1902. For the study of this reptile, Vidal contacted the French specialist Dr. Depéret who in a first letter, from 1902, told Vidal that “your animal Kimmeridgian is a rhinchocephalon very close to Sauronodon incisivus of the Kimmeridgian of Cerin, with the same shape of the head, without teeth, attenuated in the part of the snout: the same proportions of the trunk and limbs”. All this can be deduced from the observation of the plaster replica of the specimen. For Deperét, the only differences between the two specimens were smaller size and a shorter tail. With these data, Depéret proposed that they were facing a new species of Sauronodon.
In order to advance in the study, Vidal separated the head from the trunk and made two new plaster impressions of the jaws, as well as new photographs that he sent at the beginning of 1903. With this material, Vidal added “if the lack of teeth is a decisive character, I must tell you that I have prepared the original piece with great care and I have seen that the upper jaw has very fine teeth, of which three are preserved, and the alveoli of other teeth can be seen.” Curiously, the correspondence between the two scientists ended in 1906 and it was not until nine years later that this new species was definitively published.