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Jiufotang Fauna
The Jiufotang Formation (Chinese: 九佛堂组, pinyin: ''jiǔfótáng zǔ'') is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in Chaoyang, Liaoning which has yielded fossils of feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and other organisms (see Jehol Biota). It is a member of the Jehol group. The exact age of the Jiufotang has been debated for years, with estimates ranging from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. New uranium-lead dates reveal the formation is deposited in the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous. Fossils of ''Microraptor'' and ''Jeholornis'' are from the Jiufotang. Fossil content Choristoderans Fish Mammaliamorphs Several mammaliamorph specimens have been found from the Jiufotang, but only two have been formally described and named. Ornithischians Pterosaurs Saurischians A large titanosaur is present in the formation. Enantiornithines Euornithines Misc theropods See also * Yixian Formation * List of dinosaur-bearing rock fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geological Formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exposed in a geographical region (the stratigraphic column). It is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy, the study of strata or rock layers. A formation must be large enough that it can be mapped at the surface or traced in the subsurface. Formations are otherwise not defined by the thickness of their rock strata, which can vary widely. They are usually, but not universally, tabular in form. They may consist of a single lithology (rock type), or of alternating beds of two or more lithologies, or even a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies, so long as this distinguishes them from adjacent bodies of rock. The concept of a geologic formation goes back to the beginnings of modern scientific geology. The term was used by Abraham Gottlob Wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age. In the past, ''Malm'' was also used to indicate the unit of geological time, but this usage is now discouraged to make a clear distinction between lithostratigraphic and geochronologic/chronostratigraphic units. Subdivisions The Late Jurassic is divided into three ages, which correspond with the three (faunal) stages of Upper Jurassic rock: Paleogeography During the Late Jurassic Epoch, Pangaea broke up into two supercontinents, Laurasia to the north, and Gondwana to the south. The result of this break-up was the spawning of the Atlantic Ocean. However, at this time, the Atlantic Ocean was relatively narrow. Life forms of the epoch This epoch is well known for many famous types of dinosau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protopsephurus
''Protopsephurus'' is an extinct genus of paddlefish containing the single species ''Protopsephurus liui,'' known from the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, northern China from the Barremian to Aptian ages of the Early Cretaceous period around 125-120 million years ago. It is up to be one meter in length. It is currently the oldest and most basal paddlefish known. Description The species is known from numerous specimens ranging up to about long. The snout is shorter than that in any other known paddlefish, and is more sturgeon-like. The morphology of the skull roof is also more archaic than any other paddlefish. The axial skeleton is poorly ossified. Like other extinct polyodontids, it also has tiny non-interlocking scales approximately 1 mm in diameter called denticles that cover the trunk, which bear a fringe of spikes. Diet ''Protopsephurus'' is thought to have been piscovorous, feeding on smaller fish. One adult specimen of ''Protopsephurus'' was observed with a specimen of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ..., and are descended from other, earlier Acipenseriformes, acipenseriform fish, which date back to the Early Jurassic period, some 174 to 201 million years ago. They are one of two living families of the Acipenseriformes alongside paddlefish (Polyodontidae). The family is grouped into four genera: ''Acipenser'' (which is paraphyletic, containing many distantly related sturgeon species), ''Huso'', ''Scaphirhynchus,'' and ''Pseudoscaphirhynchus''. Two species (''Adriatic sturgeon, A. naccarii'' and ''Dabry's sturgeon, A. dabryanus'') may be extinct in the wild, and one (''Syr Darya s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peipiaosteus
''Peipiaosteus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric chondrostean ray-finned fish. Its fossils are found in the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation, Pani Lake, Liaoning Province, China.Liu, H. T. and Zhou, J . J. 1965A new sturgeon from the Upper Jurassic of Liaoning, North China - Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 9, 3, 237-247. In Chinese with English abstract ''Peipiaosteus'' belongs to the family Peipiaosteidae, together with the genera '' Liaosteus'', '' Spherosteus'', ''Stichopterus'', and '' Yanosteus''. Peipiaosteidae lived in Asia (China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia) during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous epochs. They are closely related to Chondrosteidae (Early Jurassic, Europe) and to living sturgeon and paddlefish (Acipenseroidei). See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College Albert A. List College of Jewish Stu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lycoptera Reconstruction
''Lycoptera'' is an extinct genus of fish that lived from the late Jurassic to Cretaceous periods in present-day China, North Korea, Mongolia and Siberia. It is known from abundant fossils representing sixteen species, which serve as important index fossil used to date geologic formations in China. Along with the genus ''Peipiaosteus'', ''Lycoptera'' has been considered a defining member of the Jehol Biota, a prehistoric ecosystem famous for its feathered dinosaurs, which flourished for 20 million years during the Early Cretaceous, where it occurs abundantly in often monospecific beds, where they are thought to have died in seasonal mass death events.Jin, F., Zhang, F.C., Li, Z.H., Zhang, J.Y., Li, C. and Zhou, Z.H. (2008). "On the horizon of ''Protopteryx'' and the early vertebrate fossil assemblages of the Jehol Biota." ''Chinese Science Bulletin'', 53(18): 2820-2827. ''Lycoptera'' is a crown group teleost belonging to an early diverging lineage of the Osteoglossomorpha, which co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lycoptera
''Lycoptera'' is an extinct genus of fish that lived from the late Jurassic to Cretaceous periods in present-day China, North Korea, Mongolia and Siberia. It is known from abundant fossils representing sixteen species, which serve as important index fossil used to date geologic formations in China. Along with the genus ''Peipiaosteus'', ''Lycoptera'' has been considered a defining member of the Jehol Biota, a prehistoric ecosystem famous for its feathered dinosaurs, which flourished for 20 million years during the Early Cretaceous, where it occurs abundantly in often monospecific beds, where they are thought to have died in seasonal mass death events.Jin, F., Zhang, F.C., Li, Z.H., Zhang, J.Y., Li, C. and Zhou, Z.H. (2008). "On the horizon of ''Protopteryx'' and the early vertebrate fossil assemblages of the Jehol Biota." ''Chinese Science Bulletin'', 53(18): 2820-2827. ''Lycoptera'' is a crown group teleost belonging to an early diverging lineage of the Osteoglossomorpha, which co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Osteoglossomorph
Osteoglossomorpha is a group of bony fish in the Teleostei. Notable members A notable member is the arapaima (''Arapaima gigas''), the largest freshwater fish in South America and one of the largest bony fishes alive. Other notable members include the bizarre freshwater elephantfishes of family Mormyridae. Systematics Most osteoglossomorph lineages are extinct today. Only the somewhat diverse "bone-tongues" (Osteoglossiformes) and two species of mooneyes (Hiodontiformes) remain. The Ichthyodectiform fishes from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were once classified as osteoglossomorphs, but are now generally recognized as stem teleosts. Basal and ''incertae sedis'' (Extinct) * Genus †'' Paralycoptera'' Chang & Chou, 1977 * Genus †''Jinanichthys'' Ma & Sun 1988 Liaoxiichthys.html"_;"title="'Liaoxiichthys">'Liaoxiichthys''_Su_1992*_Genus_?†''Kokuraichthys.html" ;"title="Liaoxiichthys">'Liaoxiichthys'' Su 1992">Liaoxiichthys.html" ;"title="'Liaoxiichthys">'Liaoxiicht ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jinanichthys
''Jinanichthys'' is an extinct genus of osteoglossiform which existed in China during the early Cretaceous period The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of t .... Species include ''J. longicephalus'' and ''J. major''. Xiaolin Wang, Yuanqing Wang, Fan Jin 1 Xing Xu and Yuan Wang. References Osteoglossiformes[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liaoxisaurus
''Liaoxisaurus'' is a genus of choristodere, a type of crocodile-like aquatic reptile. It is known from a partial specimen found in Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous rocks of the Jiufotang Formation, Chaoyang, Liaoning, China. ''Liaoxisaurus'' was named in 2005 by Gao Chunling, Lü Junchang, and colleagues. The type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ... is ''L. chaoyangensis''. References Prehistoric reptile genera Cretaceous choristoderes Early Cretaceous reptiles of Asia Aquatic reptiles Taxa named by Lü Junchang Jiufotang fauna {{Cretaceous-reptile-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ikechosaurus
''Ikechosaurus'' is an extinct genus of choristodere reptile which existed in China and Mongolia during the Early Cretaceous. It contains the species ''Ikechosaurus sunailinae'' and ''Ikechosaurus gaoi''. It belongs to the crocodilian-like clade Neochoristodera and was initially assigned to the Champsosauridae Neochoristodera is a lineage of specialised crocodile-like fully aquatic choristodere reptiles. Noted for their long jaws and large size, these animals were predominant across the Northern Hemisphere, occurring in freshwater and coastal environme ... by Sigogneau-Russell (1981). Compared to other neochoristoderes, ''Ikechosaurus'' has a rather simple dentition, lacking the speciations seen in latter species. It also has parasphenoid palatal teeth, a feature not seen in any other choristodere. References Choristodera Cretaceous reptiles of Asia Cretaceous choristoderes Prehistoric reptile genera Fossil taxa described in 1981 {{Cretaceous-reptile-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philydrosaurus
''Philydrosaurus'' is an extinct genus of choristoderan which existed in China during the Early Cretaceous. The type species ''P. proseilus'' was named in 2005. ''Philydrosaurus'' was found from the Jiufotang Formation and is slightly younger than ''Monjurosuchus'', which was found from the Yixian Formation. Description Distinct ridges cover the prefrontal and postfrontal bones of the skull, distinguishing ''Philydrosaurus'' from related genera. The lower temporal fenestra, usually present as a hole in the back of the skull of choristoderes, is closed by bone in ''Philydrosaurus''. The eye sockets are large and spaced close together, similar to ''Monjurosuchus'' and ''Lazarussuchus''. ''Philydrosaurus'' is considered more basal than these choristoderes because its eyes are not as closely spaced and face laterally rather than dorsally. The skull is similar in shape to that of ''Cteniogenys'', the most basal choristodere. The shortness of the skull and the laterally facing eye soc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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