The Khok Pha Suam locality in the province of Ubon Ratchathani, northeastern, Thailand, is known as “the last home of Thai dinosaurs”, because it belongs to the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation (Aptian-Albian) which is currently the youngest Mesozoic vertebrate fossil producing formation in the Khorat Group. Here, we describe a diverse vertebrate assemblage, including hybodonts, ray-finned fishes, turtles, crocodyliforms, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs from the Khok Pha Suam locality. The updated data on the Khok Kruat fauna provides a better understanding of the variety and distribution of Early Cretaceous continental ecosystems, which are useful for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. In addition to consolidating unincorporated data on fauna, this study also provides the palaeontological data necessary to illustrate the palaeoecosystem to the general public, as well as improving the academic value of the Pha Chan-Sam Phan Bok Geopark.
Abstract. The non-marine Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of Thailand,
which consist of the Indochina block and the Sibumasu block, have yielded
several terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate fossils, but only few amphibian
remains have been reported. Here, we present an overview on the Thai
amphibian palaeo-diversity based on the literature, re-examination of
published material, new findings, and unpublished material. Thai amphibian
fossil remains are assigned to Stereospondyli (Cyclotosauridae,
Plagiosauridae, and Brachyopoidea) and Anura and were discovered from four
formations, ranging from the Upper Triassic to Lower Cretaceous of Thailand.
The occurrence of Brachyopidae in Thailand, which are related to Chinese
forms, supports the previous hypothesis of physical connections between the
Indochina blocks and the Sibumasu block during the Mesozoic era.
Ornithischian dinosaurs have been discovered in Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia. These bird-hipped herbivores remain relatively rare by comparison with saurischian dinosaurs. In the Late Jurassic, stegosaurs and basal neornithischians from Thailand showed similarities to Middle-Late Jurassic taxa from China. Ornithischians appeared in the fossil record again during the late Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) of Thailand and Laos. They are represented by non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians and basal ceratopsians. A few specimens have been reported from poorly dated Early Cretaceous rocks of Malaysia. Here, we illustrate the diversity of ornithischian assemblages in Southeast Asia and discuss their palaeobiogeographical implications.
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