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Hupehsuchia
Hupehsuchia is an order of diapsid reptiles closely related to ichthyosaurs. The group was short-lasting, with a temporal range restricted to the late Olenekian age, spanning only a few million years of the Early Triassic. The order gets its name from Hubei Province, China, from which many specimens have been found. They are probable members of the clade Ichthyosauromorpha. Description Hupehsuchians display an unusual combination of characteristics. The overall shape of the body is fusiform, with a long tail and large, paddle-like limbs. The skull is elongated and the jaws are edentulous. The rostrum is flattened with the premaxilla thought to form most of the dorsal and lateral surface, while the maxilla is mostly restricted to the ventral surface beyond the base of the rostrum. An opening between the nasal and the prefrontal bones in one hupehsuchian specimen (known as IVPP V3232) was initially interpreted as an antorbital fenestra, but is now thought to be an artifact cause ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eohupehsuchus
''Eohupehsuchus'' is a genus of Extinction, extinct aquatic diapsid from the Upper Spathian (latest Lower Triassic, Early Triassic) of Hubei Province, located in Central China. The genus is Monotypic taxon, monotypic and belongs to the Order (biology), order Hupehsuchia, whose members are characterized by toothless beak-like snouts, a row of dermal plates along their backs, and aquatic adaptations including paddle-shaped limbs and wikt:fusiform, fusiform bodies with Pachyostosis, pachyostotic ribs. ''Eohupehsuchus'' is known only from its holotype, WGSC (Wuhan Centre of Geological Survey, China) V26003. It is the smallest known hupehsuchian, measuring about long. Phylogenetics, Phylogenetic analyses have repeatedly recovered it as the second-most Basal (phylogenetics), basal member of the Hupehsuchia and as the sister group to the Family (biology), family Hupehsuchidae. A pathology on the left forelimb of the holotype was interpreted by its discoverers as a bite wound from a larg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichthyosaurs
Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for "fish lizard" – and ) are large extinct marine reptiles. Ichthyosaurs belong to the order known as Ichthyosauria or Ichthyopterygia ('fish flippers' – a designation introduced by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, although the term is now used more for the parent clade of the Ichthyosauria). Ichthyosaurs thrived during much of the Mesozoic era; based on fossil evidence, they first appeared around 250 million years ago ( Ma) and at least one species survived until about 90 million years ago, into the Late Cretaceous. During the Early Triassic epoch, ichthyosaurs and other ichthyosauromorphs evolved from a group of unidentified land reptiles that returned to the sea, in a development similar to how the mammalian land-dwelling ancestors of modern-day dolphins and whales returned to the sea millions of years later, which they gradually came to resemble in a case of convergent evolution. Ichthyosaurs were particularly abundant in the Late Triass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichthyosauromorpha
The Ichthyosauromorpha are an extinct clade of marine reptiles consisting of the Ichthyosauriformes and the Hupehsuchia, living during the Mesozoic. The node clade Ichthyosauromorpha was first defined by Ryosuke Motani ''et al.'' in 2014 as the group consisting of the last common ancestor of ''Ichthyosaurus communis'' and ''Hupehsuchus nanchangensis'', and all its descendants. Their synapomorphies, unique derived traits, include: the presence of an anterior flange on the humerus and Radius (bone), radius; the lower end of the ulna being as wide as or wider than the upper end, the forelimb being as long as or longer than the hindlimb, the hand having at least three quarters of the length of the upper arm and lower arm combined, the fibula extending behind the level of the thighbone, and the transverse process of the vertebral neural arch being reduced or absent. The Ichthyosauromorpha probably originated in China during the upper Lower Triassic period, about 248 million years ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eretmorhipis
''Eretmorhipis'' (meaning "oar fan" from the Greek ερετμον, "oar", and ῥιπίς, "fan") is an extinct genus of hupehsuchian marine reptiles from the Early Triassic of China. It is currently known from two specimens that were discovered in an exposure of the Jialingjiang Formation in Yuan'an County, Hubei, and referred to the newly named species ''Eretmorhipis carrolldongi'' in 2015. One of those specimens, the holotype WGSC V26020, had been known since 1991 and consists of the entire skeleton excluding the skull. The second specimen, IVPP V4070, is an impression of the right side of the back half of the skeleton, as well as part of the right fore limb. Two more specimens were discovered in 2018 at the same location, one of which is almost complete and includes the skull. Description ''Eretmorhipis'' was a relatively small reptile, with the second specimen IVPP V4070 measuring about in total body length. It is unique among hupehsuchians in having manual and pedal d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanchangosaurus
''Nanchangosaurus'' is an extinct genus of aquatic reptiles native to the middle Triassic of China. It was named after the area in China, Nanchang, where it was found. It was about more than in length, and probably fed on fish or used its long jaws to probe for aquatic invertebrates. It resembled the ichthyosaurs in build, and may be related to them. Anatomy ''Nanchangosaurus'' resembled a cross between an ichthyosaur and a crocodilian. It had a fusiform body, similar to a dolphin or an ichthyosaur, paddle-like limbs, with forelimbs being larger than hindlimbs, and a crocodilian-like tail for swimming through the water. It had bony scutes on its back, like an alligator, but had a long snout filled with teeth, like an ichthyosaur or a river dolphin. Classification ''Nanchangosaurus'' is a member of the Hupehsuchia, a group that includes the very similar '' Hupehsuchus''. In fact, the two may be congeneric. A few differences between the two species are seen. ''Hupehsuch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parahupehsuchus
''Parahupehsuchus'' is an extinct genus of hupehsuchian marine reptiles from the Early Triassic of China. The genus is monotypic, known from the single species ''Parahupehsuchus longus'' and based on a single specimen. Like other hupehsuchians, it had an elongated torso, a tail nearly as long as the rest of the body, short and paddle-like limbs, extra bones in the fore- and hind limbs, thick ribs and gastralia, neural spines of the vertebrae split into two parts, and bony plates over the neural spines. It differs from other hupehsuchians in having an even more elongated body and wider ribs that touch along their edges and have no spaces between them. The ribs connect with gastralia on the underside of the torso to form a bony "tube" around the body wall. Description ''Parahupehsuchus longus'' is known from a single type specimen, WGSC 26005, measuring in length. It was found in 2011 from an outcrop of the Early Triassic (Olenekian) Jialingjiang Formation in Yuan'an County, H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hupehsuchus
''Hupehsuchus'' is an extinct genus of small marine reptiles, about 1 m (3 ft) long, found in the area of Hubei in China. This marine reptile lived in the Olenekian stage of the Early Triassic period. Description ''Hupehsuchus'' was similar to its close relative, '' Nanchangosaurus'', but differed from it in a number of ways. For example, ''Hupehsuchus'' had heavier armor on its back than ''Nanchangosaurus'', and its back spines were more finely divided, giving it a more crocodile-like appearance than ''Nanchangosaurus''. It had a thin, long snout like a gharial, river dolphin, or ichthyosaur, which it probably used to snag fish or probe for aquatic invertebrates. Classification Exactly to what species ''Hupehsuchus'' is related is unknown. Fairly clearly, it shares a close relationship with ''Nanchangosaurus'', but other relations are unknown. Many features, including the discovery of polydactyly, suggest that ''Hupehsuchus'' is related to the ichthyosaurs, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Triassic
The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a unit in chronostratigraphy. The Early Triassic is the oldest epoch of the Mesozoic Era. It is preceded by the Lopingian Epoch (late Permian, Paleozoic Era) and followed by the Middle Triassic Epoch. The Early Triassic is divided into the Induan and Olenekian ages. The Induan is subdivided into the Griesbachian and Dienerian subages and the Olenekian is subdivided into the Smithian and Spathian subages. The Lower Triassic series is coeval with the Scythian Stage, which is today not included in the official timescales but can be found in older literature. In Europe, most of the Lower Triassic is composed of Buntsandstein, a lithostratigraphic unit of continental red beds. The Early Triassic and partly also the Middle Triassic span the in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jialingjiang Formation
The Jialingjiang Formation (嘉陵江组) is a geologic feature associated with the Sichuan Basin of China, generally underlying the area of the basin, with its origins dating to the Early Triassic period of geologic time, around a quarter of a billion years ago, and before. The Jialingjiang Formation is a geologic group feature upon the Yangtze Plate, which is a tectonic feature of the Earth's crust. The Jialingjiang Formation is important to paleontologists or other people interested in ancient life forms due to the fossil evidence incorporated therein (such as for Eretmorhipis and other Ichthyosaur relatives). Also, scientific study of this formation group provides insight into Late Triassic tectonic inversion based on analysis of detrital zircon U–Pb chronology (involving the element uranium converting to lead over time due to radioactive decay). The Jialingjiang Formation is also of interest in history as it has been a source for humans to extract valuable economic good ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diapsid
Diapsids ("two arches") are a clade of sauropsids, distinguished from more primitive eureptiles by the presence of two holes, known as temporal fenestrae, in each side of their skulls. The group first appeared about three hundred million years ago during the late Carboniferous period. All diapsids other than the most primitive ones in the clade Araeoscelidia are sometimes placed into the clade Neodiapsida. The diapsids are extremely diverse, and include birds and all modern reptile groups, including turtles, which were historically thought to lie outside the group. Although some diapsids have lost either one hole (lizards), or both holes (snakes and turtles), or have a heavily restructured skull (modern birds), they are still classified as diapsids based on their ancestry. At least 17,084 species of diapsid animals are extant: 9,159 birds, and 7,925 snakes, lizards, tuatara, turtles, and crocodiles. Characteristics The name Diapsida means "two arches", and diapsids are tradition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olenekian
In the geologic timescale, the Olenekian is an age in the Early Triassic epoch; in chronostratigraphy, it is a stage in the Lower Triassic series. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). The Olenekian is sometimes divided into the Smithian and the Spathian subages or substages. The Olenekian follows the Induan and is followed by the Anisian (Middle Triassic). The Olenekian saw the deposition of a large part of the Buntsandstein in Europe. The Olenekian is roughly coeval with the regional Yongningzhenian Stage used in China. Stratigraphic definitions The Olenekian Stage was introduced into scientific literature by Russian stratigraphers in 1956. The stage is named after Olenëk in Siberia. Before the subdivision in Olenekian and Induan became established, both stages formed the Scythian Stage, which has since disappeared from the official timescale. The base of the Olenekian is at the lowest occurrence of the ammonoids '' Hedenstroemia'' or '' Meekoceras graci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anisian
In the geologic timescale, the Anisian is the lower stage or earliest age of the Middle Triassic series or epoch and lasted from million years ago until million years ago. The Anisian Age succeeds the Olenekian Age (part of the Lower Triassic Epoch) and precedes the Ladinian Age. Stratigraphic definitions The stage and its name were established by Austrian geologists Wilhelm Heinrich Waagen and Carl Diener in 1895. The name comes from ''Anisus'', the Latin name of the river Enns. The original type locality is at Großreifling in the Austrian state of Styria. The base of the Anisian Stage (also the base of the Middle Triassic series) is sometimes laid at the first appearance of conodont species '' Chiosella timorensis'' in the stratigraphic record. Other stratigraphers prefer to use the base of magnetic chronozone MT1n. There is no accepted global reference profile for the base, but one ( GSSP or golden spike) was proposed at a flank of the mountain Deşli Caira in the Roman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
