Coprolite specimens from Pietraroja (lower Cretaceous, Southern Italy): morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy

The excavation in the palaeontological site of Pietraroja (Italy) allowed to discover a large number of coprolites, though a a precise stratigraphy would be only conceivable. The microscopic analysis of the samples provided valid elements to identify the producer and the palaeoenvironment of ichno-fossilization, through the identification of the inclusions and the possible causes of the preservation. The final part of the study presents elements to identify the producercomparing the microscopical evidences of the coprolites with the rests of associated fauna, in particular the plausible dental apparatus of Notagogus pentlandi.