Early Cretaceous dinosaur and other tetrapod tracks of southwestern China

作     者：Lida Xing Martin G.Lockley 

作者机构：State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology China University of Geosciences School of the Earth Sciences and Resources China University of Geosciences Dinosaur Trackers Research Group University of Colorado Denver 

出 版 物：《Science Bulletin》 (科学通报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2016年第61卷第13期

页      面：1044-1051页

核心收录：

学科分类：070903[理学-古生物学与地层学(含：古人类学)] 0709[理学-地质学] 07[理学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB822000) a Special Project Grant of Chongqing People’s Government (QDBLR-2007-2015) the 2013 and 2015 Support Fund for Graduate Students’ Science and Technology Innovation from China University of Geosciences (Beijing), China (51223229) 

主　　题：Early Cretaceous - Dinosaur tracks Southwestern China Paleoecology 

摘      要：In recent years the Lower Cretaceous red beds of southwestern China have yielded more than 20 significant dinosaur-dominated tracksites. More than half occur in the Jiaguan Formation with the remainder in the Feitianshan and Xiaoba formations. Collectively these sites provide evidence of at least 13 distinct dinosaurian trackmaker morphotypes, in addition to two avian theropod(bird)morphotypes and pterosaur and turtle tracks. Together these total 17 morphotypes provide a data base of 479 potential trackmakers, probably representing the same number of individuals. Such an ichnological database provides a useful proxy paleoecological census of tetrapod communities in the area during the Early Cretaceous, and is especially significant given the complete absence or scarcity of skeletal remains reported from these *** composition of ichnofaunas in all three formations is heavily saurischian(theropod and sauropod) dominated with a high diversity of distinctive theropod morphotypes,mostly assignable to known ichnogenera. Moreover, ichnofaunal data from multiple sites are generally consistent between sites and an indication of the reliability and repeatability of track census data. Such regionally-widespread data are rapidly superseding the information available from the skeletal record in the corresponding area, and must therefore be considered of high paleontological value.