Dinosaur footprint assemblage from the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation,Khorat Group,northeastern Thailand

The Khok Kruat Formation is the upper part of the Khorat Group, which consists of upper Lower Cretaceous non-marine sedimentary rocks in northeastern Thailand. Many dinosaur footprints have been known from the upper Lower Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) Khok Kruat Formation at the Huai Dam Chum (Tha Uthen) site, northeastern Thailand. Approximately 600 tracks occur in thin mudstone layer of the northern part of the outcrop at the Huai Dam Chum track site. Two types of footprints, small-sized theropod and crocodylomorph are imprinted with mud cracks and ripple marks on the thin mud layer. Most of footprints are referred to cf. Asianopodus, and are imprinted by small-sized theropoda, probably ornithomimosauria. Theropod tracks are mainly separated into two groups, Group A and Group B. From ichnological viewpoints, the small-sized theropod track assemblage indicates the herd behaviour and its idiosyncratic group composition. In particular, the histogram of size-frequency measurements of Group A shows the anomalous bimodal distribution. We consider that there are two hypotheses; the first one is due to the male-female difference, and the second is a result of the different growing stage.     

The earliest record of Asian Eusuchia from the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation of northeastern Thailand

We describe remains of a new crocodyliform found from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) Khok Kruat Formation, northeastern Thailand. Remains consist of two caudal ends of mandibles, two rostral symphyseal parts of right rami of mandibles, a dorsal part of postorbital, a cranial end of squamosal and one osteoderm. Phylogenetic analyses supported inclusion of this crocodyliform into the Eusuchia as it shares several morphological characters with other eusuchians, such as a dorsocaudally oriented retroarticular process, smooth lateral surface of the caudoventral region of mandible, and a craniocaudally oriented ridge on the dorsal surface of retroarticular process. The shape of symphyseal region showed this crocodyliform had a longirostrine snout shape, which is uncommon in early eusuchians. Finding of this crocodyliform draws back the oldest record of Asian eusuchians, which was Tadzhikosuchus, approximately 30 million years and it is the only Mesozoic eusuchian found in East and Southeast Asia.     

A New Troodontid Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, China

A new troodontid dinosaur,Daliansaurus liaoningensis gen.et sp.nov.,is erected based on a nearly complete specimen from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Beipiao City,Liaoning Province,China.This well preserved skeleton provides important new details of the anatomy for Liaoning troodontids,and gives new insight into their phylogenetic relationships and evolution.Daliansaurus is distinguished from other troodontids by an enlarged ungual on pedal digit IV,which is approximately the same size as the sickle-shaped second ungual,and is differentiated from other Liaoning troodontids by a number of characters of the skull,manus,pelvis,and hindlimb.A phylogenetic analysis recovers Daliansaurus within a subclade of Liaoning troodontids that also includes Sinovenator,Sinusonasus,and Mei.We erect a name for this group—Sinovenatorinae—and argue that it reflects a localized radiation of small-bodied troodontids in the Early Cretaceous of eastern Asia,similar to previously recognized radiations of Liaoning dromaeosaurids and avialans.As more Liaoning theropods are discovered,it is becoming apparent that small,feathered paravians were particularly diverse during the Early Cretaceous,and future work is needed to clarify how this diversity arose,which species coexisted,and how these numerous species partitioned niches.     

A New Giant Compsognathid Dinosaur with Long Filamentous Integuments from Lower Cretaceous of Northeastern China

1 Introduction Compsognathids are a small group of theropods commonly placed at the basal position within Coelurosauria (Sereno, 1999; Rauhut, 2003; Holtz and Osmólska, 2004; Norell and Xu, 2005). Recently new findings make the number of valid compsognathid genera increase rapidly. This group contains the relatively complete Compsoganthus (Ostrom, 1978; Bidar et al., 1972) and Juravenator (G?hlich and Chiappe, 2006) from the Upper Jurassic of West Europe, and Sinosauropteryx (Ji and J…     

A New Eusauropod Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Guangxi Province, Southern China

<正>A new sauropod dinosaur,Liubangosaurus hei gen.et sp.nov.,is erected based on a specimen represented by five articulated middle-caudal dorsal vertebrae,which was discovered in the Lower Cretaceous Napai Formation of Guangxi Province,southern China.This new taxon is diagnosed by a unique combination of derived features:prezygapophysis closely contacts with parapophysis,with the prdl and prpl absent;presence of cavity on the dorsal surface of the diapophysis;neural spine very low,with its distal end level with that of diapophysis;distal end of the neural spine strongly expanded laterally to form a platform;marked fossa formed between the infradiapophyseal lamina and the parapophysis;broad,flat area of featureless bone on lateral surface of neural arch;vertically directed infradiapophyseal lamina expands or bifurcates ventrally to form a inverted "Y";highly positioned parapophyses large and tear-drop in shape.The discovery of this new taxon increases the diversity of sauropods in China during the Early Cretaceous.     

A New Enantiornithine Bird from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in Jinzhou Area,Western Liaoning Province,China

A new Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird from Liaoning Province of northeastern China, Shengjingornis yangi, gen. et sp. nov., is reported. This new bird possesses the following unique combination of features: a long rostrum, with some teeth in the front; short nasal; slender jugal; Y-shaped furcula, with expanded distal end of the hypocleidum; cake-like sternum, with a low and caudally distributed keel; strut-like and caudally concave coracoid. The derived features of the scapula and the wings suggest a powerful flapping flight capability.     

A New Hadrosauriform Dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Gansu Province, China

A new basal hadrosauriform dinosaur, Xuwulong yueluni gen. et sp. nov., is reported based on an articulated specimen including a complete cranium, almost complete axial skeleton, and complete left pelvic girdle. The specimen is recovered from the Early Cretaceous Yujingzi Basin in the Jiuquan area, Gansu Province of northwestern China. Xuwulong is among the most basal members of hadrosauriform dinosaurs, and distinguished by its unique lower jaw in having a V-shaped rostral end of the dentary in lateral view and a mandibular articular surface which levels with mid-height of the dentary ramus, as well as an enlarged and downturned prepubic process. Including Xuwulong, three basal hadrosauriforms have been discovered from the Early Cretaceous Xinminpu Group in the Mazongshan area, making it an important area to study the origin and early evolution of duck-billed dinosaurs.     

泰国东北呵叻府苏拉娜里地区新生代硅化木及其古环境意义

摘要: 泰国东北部新生代硅化木十分丰富且保存完好。经对23 件木化石标本研究,已鉴定出真双子叶植物6 科7 属约13 种,包括Canarium sp． ( Burseraceae) ; Terminalia sp． vel Combretum sp． ,Terminalia sp． ( Combretaceae) ; cf． Irvingia sp． ( Irvingiaceae) ; Cynometroxylon holdeni,Cynometroxylon sp． ,cf． Cynometroxylon spp． ,cf． Millettia spp． ( Leguminosae) ; Careya spp. ( Lecythidaceae) ; Azadirachta sp． ( Meliaceae) ; 以及其他4 个分类群( 分类位置待定) 。这些高度分化的古植物群显示出与泰国东北部现存的混合落叶林、干旱阔叶林和干旱常绿林非常相似的特征,反映了该地区当时的古气候是近于湿润的热带疏林草原气候( 热带干湿气候) 。     

吉林延边地区下白垩统长财组铁角蕨属一新种

现生铁角蕨Asplenium Linn.种类繁多,广布于热带—温带地区,以热带—亚热带为分布中心。确切的Asplenium Linn.化石最早出现于东亚和俄罗斯远东地区的下白垩统地层中,是西伯利亚—加拿大区白垩纪的新生分子。根据吉林延边地区下白垩统长财组发现的铁角蕨化石的营养羽片和生殖羽片标本,在原位孢子研究基础上,通过与现生铁角蕨植物繁殖器官的对比,确认当前材料属于Asplenium Linn.;并进一步与国内外相关属种进行比对,建立了一个新种——长财铁角蕨（新种）（Asplenium changcaium Sun et Liu, sp. nov.）。该新种原位孢子的研究为深入探讨铁角蕨属乃至铁角蕨科的系统演化奠定了基础。     

内蒙古鄂尔多斯地区早白垩世原角龙类化石的发现及其意义

根据采自内蒙古自治区鄂尔多斯杭锦旗一件恐龙不完整头骨新材料的形态学特征,鉴定其为原角龙未定种(Protoceratops sp.),产出地层为下白垩统.这是原角龙属化石在早白垩世地层中的首次报道,也是该类恐龙在鄂尔多斯地区的首次记录.该化石的发现,扩大了原角龙化石在我国的地理分布范围,也丰富了鄂尔多斯地区恐龙动物群的内容.     

Fossil Liverworts from the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation in Inner Mongolia, China

A new genus and species, Rebouliothallus huolinhensis sp. nov., and two uncertain species, Ricciopsis sp. and Hepaticites sp., are described. The fossils were collected from the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation of Huolinhe Basin, northeastern China. The new genus Rebouliothallus was established in the Aytoniaceae family of Marchantiales. Rebouliothallus huolinhensis appears to be quite similar to species of the extant genus Reboulia Raddi. The species is characterized by the relatively large ventral scales. Ventral scales are large, imbricate and arranged in two rows on the ventral surface. Rhizoids are either pegged or smooth. Ricciopsis sp. is characterized by the rosette-forming thallus. Hepaticites sp. shows some similarities to liverworts. Of the forty-nine Early Cretaceous floras of China, only two floras, one from the Huolinhe basin, Inner Mongolia and the other from the Jixi Basin, Heilongjiang Province, contain fossil liverworts. The rare fossil liverwort records in the Early Cretaceous floras of China may be the result of taphonomic bias.     

A New Troodontid (Theropoda: Troodontidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning, China

A specimen collected from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China, represents a new genus and species of troodontid theropod. The new taxon is named and described on the basis of the holotype and the only known specimen, which comprises an articulated skeleton with the presacral vertebral, shoulder girdle and forelimbs missing as preserved. Diagnostic features of the new species include nasals that are sinusoid in lateral view, absence of a passage connecting the antorbital and maxillary fenestrae, relatively large teeth, plate-like chevrons forming a band along most of the length of the tail, and a long neck between the femoral head and shaft. The temporal constraints of the three paravian groups (Troodontidae, Dromaeosauridae and Aves) combined with the character distributions among the earliest known troodontids indicate a rapid evolution at the base of the Troodontidae.     

A New Sauropod Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Nanyang,Henan Province

A new sauropod dinosaur Baotianmansaurus henanensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Neixiang, Henan Province is erected. It is characterized by somphospondylous presacral vertebrae; a highly-developed lamina system on the dorsal vertebrae; transverse process supported by four laminae; and the dorsal portion of the anterior centroparapophyseal lamina is bifurcated, with a small branch extending to the ventral surface of the prezygapophysis. It represents a new titanosauriform sauropod.     

A New Sauropod Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Nanyang, Henan Province

A new sauropod dinosaur Baotianmansaurus henanensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Neixiang, Henan Province is erected. It is characterized by somphospondylous presacral vertebrae; a highly-developed lamina system on the dorsal vertebrae; transverse process supported by four laminae; and the dorsal portion of the anterior centroparapophyseai lamina is bifurcated, with a small branch extending to the ventral surface of the prezygapophysis. It represents a new titanosauriform sauropod.     

A New Genus and Species of Sapeornithidae from Lower Cretaceous in Western Liaoning, China

Sapeornithidae is a basal pygostylian family of Early Cretaceous primitive birds, in which only one genus and species, Sapeornis chaoyangensis, was reported before. This paper deals with a new genus and species of this family, Didactylornis jii gen. et sp. nov., which was unearthed from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in western Liaoning. According to our phylogenetic analyses, both Didactylornis gen. nov. and Sapeornis form a sister group, which is basal to the clade formed by Confuciusornis and all the more derived birds, and more closely related to the short-tailed pygostylian birds than to the long-tailed avialian birds. The early history of pygostylian birds is poorly documented except for the studies of Confuciusornis and Sapeornis. The discovery ofDidactylornisjii gen. et sp. nov. adds the new material for the study on the early evolution of birds.     

A New Genus of Paleonisciformes from the Early Cretaceous Longjiang Formation in Heilongjiang Province,China

We report a new genus and species of Paleonisciformes-Cretolepis dongbeiensis gen. et sp. nov.,from the Early Cretaceous Longjiang Formation in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province. The new materials can be distinguished from other Paleonisciformes genera by possessing the following characteristics: a sclerotic ring composed of more than five small bones; three pieces of suborbitals; one dermohyomandibular;a jaw hanging apparently inclined anteriorly; long and tall horizontal branch of the preopercular, a short vertical branch, with the angle formed by the two branches slightly higher than 90°; a triangular dorsal fin in the middle point between the pelvic and anal fins. The discovery of Mesozoic Paleonisciformes in northeastern China adds to the biodiversity and geographic distribution of Paleonisciformes.     

宁夏六盘山地区早白垩世恐龙足迹研究

本文记述了发现于宁夏六盘山地区的恐龙足迹化石。共计5个化石点,分别位于宁夏六盘山地区固原市隆德县和泾源县,赋存地层为下白垩统六盘山群和尚铺组、李洼峡组和马东山组,包括蜥脚类和鸟脚类恐龙足迹化石,其中以蜥脚类为主。足迹可识别的有4条行迹,其中,隆德县香水镇行迹所代表的恐龙个体较小,臀高仅1.44m,其余3组行迹代表的恐龙较大,臀高在2.79～3.27m之间;鸟脚类恐龙臀高约为0.48 m,为小型鸟脚类恐龙。采用Alexander的速度计算方法对造迹恐龙的速度进行研究,表明六盘山地区蜥脚类造迹恐龙速度为0.34～1.41m/s之间,复步长与臀高的比值小于2,均为正常行走状态。足迹保存层面岩性主要为粉砂质泥岩、细砂岩,具水平层理、波痕、泥裂、雨雹痕等沉积构造,含植物碎片化石,并发育有大量的无脊椎动物潜穴化石。根据岩性及沉积构造判断,造迹恐龙活动环境为离湖岸较近的浅水地带。     

中国南方首次发现的基干禽龙类化石新属种

广西壮族自治区扶绥县那派盆地早白垩世新隆组中产有包含蜥脚类、兽脚类、鸟脚类、疑似鹦鹉嘴龙类的恐龙动物群,但鸟脚类的属种鉴定尚不能进一步确认.最近发现于那派盆地新的鸟脚类肠骨、坐骨化石材料,显示出基干禽龙类的典型形态,其特征又不同于该类群其他已知属种,应代表禽龙类一新属新种,被命名为广西那派龙Napaisaurus gu...     

内蒙古自治区额济纳旗雅干地区下白垩统巴音戈壁组化石新发现

在内蒙古银额盆地西北部洪果尔吉乌拉山间盆地内首次发现早白垩世叶肢介化石1属2种,包括：Diestheria yixianensis Chen,Diestheria longinqua Chen,植物化石5个属（种）Podozamites sp.,Equisetites sp.,Baiera sp.,Nilssonia sp.,Czekanowskia sp.。上述叶肢介化石均为热河生物群重要分子,植物化石也是中生代晚三叠世—晚白垩世的常见分子,确定这套地层时代为早白垩世,划归巴音戈壁组。上述化石的发现,丰富了银额盆地中生代生物地层学研究内容,为盆地内早白垩世地层对比提供了最新参考资料。     

莱阳盆地莱阳群恐龙足迹化石的新发现

在山东莱阳盆地早白垩世莱阳群龙旺庄组发现15个足迹化石。化石产在灰绿色细砾粗砂岩(转石)的下层面,呈层底凸形(Convex hyporelief)保存。研究表明,足迹为二足行走、趾行式、三趾型,趾端具尖、长爪。足长约13 cm,长大于宽,近中趾对称。趾间角较大:平均值Ⅱ27°Ⅲ27.2°Ⅳ,Ⅱ、Ⅳ趾夹角平均54.2°。趾垫不清晰,无尾迹印痕。经研究,笔者认为这是一新的足迹类型,命名为Paragrallator ichnogen. nov.,并将其归入Coelurosauria Huene 1914次亚目,Anchisauripodidae(Lull 1904)足迹科。即该足迹系由小型兽脚类恐龙——虚骨龙类所形成。恐龙足迹形成于滨湖相—河流相环境中。