Jiufotang Formation
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. He et al. (2004) used argon - isotope radiometry to confirm biostratigraphic age estimates. They confirmed an Early Cretaceous, Aptian age for the Jiufotang Formation, 120.3 +/-0.7 million years ago. Fossils of Microraptor and Jeholornis are from the Jiufotang.[1]
Jiufotang Formation Stratigraphic range: Aptian ~120–113 Ma | |
---|---|
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Jehol Group |
Sub-units | Shangheshou & Meileyingzi Beds |
Underlies | Fuxin & Shahai Formations |
Overlies | Yixian Formation |
Lithology | |
Primary | Mudstone |
Other | Sandstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 41.2°N 119.4°E |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 44.4°N 119.5°E |
Region | Liaoning |
Country | ![]() |
![]() ![]() Jiufotang Formation (China) ![]() ![]() Jiufotang Formation (Liaoning) |
Fossil content
Choristoderans
Genus | Species | County | Member | Abundance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philydrosaurus | P. proseilus | Monjurosuchid | |||
Ikechosaurus | I. pijiagouensis | Simoedosaurid | |||
Liaoxisaurus | L. chaoyangensis | Simoedosaurid | |||
Fish
Genus | Species | County | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jinanichthys | J. longicephalus | An osteoglossiform | ||||
Lycoptera | L. davidi | An osteoglossiform | ![]() | |||
Peipiaosteus | P. pani | A fish related to sturgeons | ||||
Protosephurus | P. liui | A paddlefish | ||||
Sinamia | S. zdanskyi | A bowfin | ||||
Mammals
Several mammal specimens have been found from the Jiufotang, but only one has been formally described and named.
Genus | Species | County | Member | Abundance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liaoconodon | L. hui[2] | Nearly complete skeleton | A eutriconodont | ||
Unnamed mammal | Unnamed | Partial remains including a foot and fragments of the skull | A mammal similar to Eomaia and Sinodelphys from the Yixian Formation. Found as stomach contents of Microraptor zhaoianus. | ||
Ornithischians
Genus | Species | County | Member | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C. chaoyangensis[3] |
An ankylosaurine.[3] | |||||
Psittacosaurus meileyingensis |
Meileyingzi Bed |
"[Four] individuals, [two] complete skulls."[4] |
A ceratopsian. |
![]() Psittacosaurus meileyingensis ![]() Psittacosaurus mongoliensis | ||
Psittacosaurus mongoliensis |
Shangheshou and Meileyingzi Beds |
Pterosaurs
Genus | Species | County | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C. zhangi |
A chaoyangopterid.[5] |
| ||||
E. liaoxiensis |
A chaoyangopterid.[5] | |||||
Guidraco |
G. venator |
|||||
"H." benxiensis |
In need of new generic name. | |||||
"H." corollatus |
A tapejarid, in need of new generic name, probably the same genus as "H." benxiensis. | |||||
Ikrandraco |
I. avatar |
|||||
J. edentus |
A chaoyangopterid.[5] | |||||
L. gui |
||||||
L. brachyognathus |
An istiodactylid.[5] | |||||
L. jennyae |
||||||
N. crypticus |
A tapejaromorph. Previously and still occasionally thought to be a Tapejarid. Most likely a juvenile, hence small size. | |||||
N. ignaciobritoi |
An istiodactylid.[5] | |||||
S. chaoyangensis |
A chaoyangopterid. | |||||
S. dongi |
A tapejarid.[5] | |||||
S. jii |
Previously known as Huxiapterus jii. | |||||
V. lamadongensis |
An anurognathid. | |||||
Saurischians
A large titanosaur is present in the formation.[7]
Enantiornithines
Genus | Species | County | Member | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alethoalaornis |
Alethoalaornis agitornis[8] |
| ||||
Boluochia zhengi |
"Partial skull [and] partial postcranium."[9] |
A longipterygid | ||||
Cathayornis aberransis |
An entantiornithine | |||||
Cathayornis caudatus |
Nomen dubium[10] | |||||
Cathayornis yandica |
"Partial skeleton."[9] |
An enantiornithean | ||||
Cuspirostrisornis houi |
A possible avisaurid | |||||
Dapingfangornis sentisorhinus |
An enantiornithean | |||||
Eocathayornis walkeri |
"Partial skeleton."[9] |
An enantiornithean | ||||
Gracilornis jiufotangensis |
An enantiornithean | |||||
Huoshanornis huji |
An enantiornithean | |||||
Largirostrornis sexdentoris |
An enantiornithean | |||||
Longchengornis sanyanensis |
An enantiornithean | |||||
Longipteryx chaoyangensis |
A longipterygid | |||||
Rapaxavis pani |
A longipterygid | |||||
Shangyang |
Shangyang graciles |
An enantiornithean | ||||
Sinornis santensis |
"Partial skull [and] many nearly complete postcranial skeletons."[11] |
An enantiornithean | ||||
Xiangornis shenmi |
An enantiornithean | |||||
Euornithines
Genus | Species | County | Member | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aberratiodontus wui |
Junior synonym of Yanornis martini[12] |
![]() Yixianornis grabaui | ||||
Chaoyangia beishanensis |
"Partial skeleton."[11] |
An ornithuran | ||||
Jianchangornis microdonta |
An ornithuran | |||||
Parahongshanornis chaoyangensis |
||||||
Schizooura lii |
An ornithuran with long, forked tail feathers | |||||
Songlingornis linghensis |
An ornithuran. | |||||
Yanornis martini |
An ornithuran. | |||||
Yixianornis grabaui |
An ornithuran. | |||||
Misc theropods
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Genus | Species | County | Member | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C. sanctus |
A primitive short-tailed bird (pygostylian). Also present in the Yixian Formation |
![]() Confuciusornis sanctus ![]() Jeholornis prima ![]() Microraptor gui ![]() Sinotyrannus kazuoensis | ||||
C. jianchangensis |
||||||
D. cuhe |
Nomen dubium, named from a forged artificially assembled specimen. | |||||
J. prima[1] |
A basal avialan, also present in the Yixian Formation[14] | |||||
J. palmapenis[15] |
A basal avialan | |||||
K. longicaudatus |
"Nearly complete specimen".[16] |
A long tailed avialan, related to Jeholornis. |
||||
M. gui |
Shangheshou Bed |
Extremely common[7] |
Could be synonym of Microraptor zhaoianus | |||
M. zhaoianus |
Shangheshou Bed[7] |
"At least [three] partial semiarticulated postcrania and several skulls."[17] Feathered integument is also preserved.[17] |
A dromaeosaurid. | |||
O. sinousaorum |
An omnivoropterygiform | |||||
S. angustis |
"Nearly complete skeleton without skull."[18] |
An omnivoropterygiform, a primitive short-tailed bird | ||||
S. chaoyangensis |
||||||
Shenshiornis primita[19] |
An omnivoropterygiform | |||||
S. yixianensis |
||||||
S. kazuoensis[20] |
||||||
Z. yangi |
A primitive short-tailed bird[21] | |||||
See also
- Yixian Formation
- List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
References
- He, H.Y.; Wang, X.L.; Zhou, Z.H.; Wang, F.; Boven, A.; Shi, G.H.; Zhu, R.X. (2004). "Timing of the Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China, and its implications". Geophysical Research Letters. 31 (13): 1709. Bibcode:2004GeoRL..3112605H. doi:10.1029/2004GL019790.
- Meng, J.; Wang, Y.; Li, C. (2011). "Transitional mammalian middle ear from a new Cretaceous Jehol eutriconodont". Nature. 472 (7342): 181–185. Bibcode:2011Natur.472..181M. doi:10.1038/nature09921. PMID 21490668.
- Han, F.; Zheng, W.; Hu, D.; Xu, X.; Barrett, P.M. (2014). "A New Basal Ankylosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China". PLoS ONE. 9 (8): e104551. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9j4551H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0104551. PMC 4131922. PMID 25118986.
- "Table 22.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 479.
- Wang, X.; Zhou, Z. (2006). "Pterosaur assemblages of the Jehol Biota and their implication for the Early Cretaceous pterosaur radiation". Geological Journal. 41 (3–4): 405–418. doi:10.1002/gj.1046.
- Rodrigues, Taissa; Jiang, Shunxing; Cheng, Xin; Wang, Xiaolin; Kellner, Alexander W.A. (2015). "A new toothed pteranodontoid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Jiufotang Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian) of China and comments on Liaoningopterus gui Wang and Zhou, 2003". Historical Biology. 27 (6): 782–795. doi:10.1080/08912963.2015.1033417.
- Xu, X.; Norell, M.A. (2006). "Non-Avian dinosaur fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of western Liaoning, China". Geological Journal. 41 (3–4): 419–437. doi:10.1002/gj.1044.
- Li, L., Hu, D.-Y., Duan, Y., Gong, E.-P. and Hou, L.-H. (2007). "Alethoalaornithidae fam. nov., a new family of enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning." Acta Palaeontologica Sinica, 46(3): 365-372. (http://www.cqvip.com/qk/90074X/200703/25642898.html) [in Chinese]
- "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 212.
- O'Connor, J.; Dyke, G. (2010). "A reassessment of Sinornis santensis and Cathayornis yandica (Aves: Enantiornithes)". Records of the Australian Museum. 62: 7–20. doi:10.3853/J.0067-1975.62.2010.1540.
- "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 214.
- Cau, A.; Arduini, P. (2008). "Enantiophoenix electrophyla gen. et sp. nov. (Aves, Enantiornithes) from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Lebanon and its phylogenetic relationships". Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano. 149: 293–324.
- Li, Li; Jing-Qi Wang; Shi-Lin Hou (2011). "A new ornithurine bird (Hongshanornithidae) from the Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang, Liaoning, China" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 49 (2): 195–200.
- Li, D.; Sulliven, C.; Zhou, Z.; Zhang, Z. (2010). "Basal birds from China: a brief review". Chinese Birds. 1 (2): 83–96. doi:10.5122/cbirds.2010.0002.
- O'Connor, J.K.; Sun, C.; Xu, X.; Wang, X.; Zhou, Z. (2012). "A new species of Jeholornis with complete caudal integument". Historical Biology. 24: 29–41. doi:10.1080/08912963.2011.552720.
- Xuri Wang; Jiandong Huang; Martin Kundrát; Andrea Cau; Xiaoyu Liu; Yang Wang; Shubin Ju (2020). "A new jeholornithiform exhibits the earliest appearance of the fused sternum and pelvis in the evolution of avialan dinosaurs". Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. in press: Article 104401. doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2020.104401.
- "Table 10.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 198.
- "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 216.
- Hu, D.; Li, L.; Hou, L.; Xu, X. (2010). "A new sapeornithid bird from China and its implication for early avian evolution". Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition). 84 (3): 472–482. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2010.00188.x.
- Ji, Q.; Ji, S.-A.; Zhang, L.-J. (2009). "First large tyrannosauroid theropod from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota in northeastern China". Geological Bulletin of China. 28 (10): 1369–1374.
- Zhou, Z.; Zhang, F.; Li, Z. (2010). "A new Lower Cretaceous bird from China and tooth reduction in early avian evolution". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 277 (1679): 219–227. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.0885. PMC 2842673. PMID 19586952.
Further reading
- Wang, Y; Evans, SE (2011). "A gravid lizard from the Cretaceous of China and the early history of squamate viviparity". Naturwissenschaften. 98: 739–743. Bibcode:2011NW.....98..739W. doi:10.1007/s00114-011-0820-1. PMID 21766177.