Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology
Rich tetrapod ichnofaunas, known for more than a decade, from the Huangyangquan Reservoir (Wuerhe District, Karamay City, Xinjiang) have been an abundant source of some of the largest Lower Cretaceous track collections from China. They originate from inland lacustrine clastic exposures of the 581–87...
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PeerJ Inc.
2021-05-01
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| author | Lida Xing Martin G. Lockley Chengkai Jia Hendrik Klein Kecheng Niu Lijun Zhang Liqi Qi Chunyong Chou Anthony Romilio Donghao Wang Yu Zhang W Scott Persons Miaoyan Wang |
| author_facet | Lida Xing Martin G. Lockley Chengkai Jia Hendrik Klein Kecheng Niu Lijun Zhang Liqi Qi Chunyong Chou Anthony Romilio Donghao Wang Yu Zhang W Scott Persons Miaoyan Wang |
| author_sort | Lida Xing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rich tetrapod ichnofaunas, known for more than a decade, from the Huangyangquan Reservoir (Wuerhe District, Karamay City, Xinjiang) have been an abundant source of some of the largest Lower Cretaceous track collections from China. They originate from inland lacustrine clastic exposures of the 581–877 m thick Tugulu Group, variously divided into four formations and subgroups in the northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin. The large Huangyangquan track assemblages occur in the Lower layer/Subgroup II. Similarly-composed track assemblages also occur at the smaller Asphaltite site in the Upper Layer/Subgroup III. The Huangyangquan assemblages have yielded more than 1,500 identified tracks including abundant tracks of avian and non-avian theropods, pterosaurs and turtles and less abundant tracks of stegosaurs. Previous avian track identifications have been reassessed to conclude that Moguiornipes robustus is a taphotaxon and Koreanaornis dodsoni might be better accommodated in the ichnogenus Aquatilavipes which appears to be the dominant avian ichnotaxon. The avian track Ignotornis is also recognized and represents the first occurrence of this ichnogenus in China. Although the Huangyangquan assemblages lack some of the larger components (e.g., sauropodan and ornithopodan tracks) known from other Lower Cretaceous localities, the association of abundant tracks of smaller tetrapods (avian and non-avian theropods, pterosaurs and turtles) appears to be representative of lacustrine basin faunas of this region, and are an excellent example of the shorebird ichnocoenosis/ichnofacies concept. This is the first comprehensive review and re-analysis of an important Lower Cretaceous ecosystem. |
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| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:18:13Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-099227af756647209cee8e9c12bff0772023-12-02T21:54:57ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592021-05-019e1147610.7717/peerj.11476Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecologyLida Xing0Martin G. Lockley1Chengkai Jia2Hendrik Klein3Kecheng Niu4Lijun Zhang5Liqi Qi6Chunyong Chou7Anthony Romilio8Donghao Wang9Yu Zhang10W Scott Persons11Miaoyan Wang12State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geoscience (Beijing), Beijing, ChinaDinosaur Trackers Research Group, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, United StatesResearch Institute of Experiment and Detection of Xinjiang Oil Company, PetroChina, Karamay, ChinaSaurierwelt Paläontologisches Museum, Neumarkt, GermanyYingliang Stone Natural History Museum, Nan’an, ChinaInstitute of Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Biogenic Traces & Sedimentary Minerals of Henan Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Coalbed Methane and Shale Gas for Central Plains Economic Region, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, ChinaFaculty of Petroleum, China University of Petroleum (Beijing) at Karamay, Karamay, ChinaSchool of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geoscience (Beijing), Beijing, ChinaSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaSchool of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geoscience (Beijing), Beijing, ChinaSchool of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geoscience (Beijing), Beijing, ChinaMace Brown Museum of Natural History, Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, College of Charleston, Charleston, United StatesSchool of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geoscience (Beijing), Beijing, ChinaRich tetrapod ichnofaunas, known for more than a decade, from the Huangyangquan Reservoir (Wuerhe District, Karamay City, Xinjiang) have been an abundant source of some of the largest Lower Cretaceous track collections from China. They originate from inland lacustrine clastic exposures of the 581–877 m thick Tugulu Group, variously divided into four formations and subgroups in the northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin. The large Huangyangquan track assemblages occur in the Lower layer/Subgroup II. Similarly-composed track assemblages also occur at the smaller Asphaltite site in the Upper Layer/Subgroup III. The Huangyangquan assemblages have yielded more than 1,500 identified tracks including abundant tracks of avian and non-avian theropods, pterosaurs and turtles and less abundant tracks of stegosaurs. Previous avian track identifications have been reassessed to conclude that Moguiornipes robustus is a taphotaxon and Koreanaornis dodsoni might be better accommodated in the ichnogenus Aquatilavipes which appears to be the dominant avian ichnotaxon. The avian track Ignotornis is also recognized and represents the first occurrence of this ichnogenus in China. Although the Huangyangquan assemblages lack some of the larger components (e.g., sauropodan and ornithopodan tracks) known from other Lower Cretaceous localities, the association of abundant tracks of smaller tetrapods (avian and non-avian theropods, pterosaurs and turtles) appears to be representative of lacustrine basin faunas of this region, and are an excellent example of the shorebird ichnocoenosis/ichnofacies concept. This is the first comprehensive review and re-analysis of an important Lower Cretaceous ecosystem.https://peerj.com/articles/11476.pdfTetrapod ichnofaunasShorebird tracksJunggar BasinTugulu GroupTheropodThyreophoran |
| spellingShingle | Lida Xing Martin G. Lockley Chengkai Jia Hendrik Klein Kecheng Niu Lijun Zhang Liqi Qi Chunyong Chou Anthony Romilio Donghao Wang Yu Zhang W Scott Persons Miaoyan Wang Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology PeerJ Tetrapod ichnofaunas Shorebird tracks Junggar Basin Tugulu Group Theropod Thyreophoran |
| title | Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology |
| title_full | Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology |
| title_fullStr | Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology |
| title_short | Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology |
| title_sort | lower cretaceous avian dominated theropod thyreophoran pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the tugulu group xinjiang china ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology |
| topic | Tetrapod ichnofaunas Shorebird tracks Junggar Basin Tugulu Group Theropod Thyreophoran |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/11476.pdf |
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