Timing of the Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China, and its implications

He, Honghua; Wang, X. L.; Zhou, Zhonghe; Wang, F.; Boven, A.; Shi, Gongle; Zhu, Rixiang

doi:10.1029/2004gl019790

Cited by 187 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The evolution of the Jehol Biota can be roughly divided into three stages represented by the Dabeigou, Yixian, and Jiufotang Formations and corresponding to an age of 130 million years ago (Ma), 125 Ma, and 120 Ma, respectively (18)(19)(20)(21). The only bird known from the Dabeigou Formation is the enantiornithine Protopteryx (22).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of an ornithurine bird and its implication for Early Cretaceous avian radiation

Zhou

Zhang

2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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An ornithurine bird, Hongshanornis longicresta gen. et sp. nov., represented by a nearly complete and articulated skeleton in full plumage, has been recovered from the lacustrine deposits of the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group in Inner Mongolia, northeast China. The bird had completely reduced teeth and possessed a beak in both the upper and lower jaws, representing the earliest known beaked ornithurine. The preservation of a predentary bone confirms that this structure is not unique to ornithischian dinosaurs but was common in early ornithurine birds. This small bird had a strong flying capability with a low aspect ratio wing. It was probably a wader, feeding in shallow water or marshes. This find confirms that the aquatic environment had played a key role in the origin and early radiation of ornithurines, one branch of which eventually gave rise to extant birds near the Cretaceous͞Tertiary boundary. This discovery provides important information not only for studying the origin and early evolution of ornithurines but also for understanding the differentiation in morphology, body size, and diet of the Early Cretaceous birds.evolutionary radiation ͉ fossil bird ͉ Inner Mongolia ͉ beak

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of an ornithurine bird and its implication for Early Cretaceous avian radiation

Zhou

Zhang

2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…(c) Locality and horizon: Jianchang, Liaoning, northeastern China; Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation (He et al 2004).…”

Section: Systematic Paleontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A new Lower Cretaceous bird from China and tooth reduction in early avian evolution

Zhou

2009

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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A new avian genus and species, Zhongjianornis yangi gen. et sp. nov., is reported from the Lower Cretaceous lacustrine deposits of the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning, northeast China. The new taxon is characterized by possessing the following combination of features: upper and lower jaws toothless, snout pointed, humerus with large and robust deltopectoral crest, second phalanx of the major manual digit longer than the first phalanx, unguals of the alular and major digits of similar length and significantly shorter than the corresponding penultimate phalanges, tibiotarsus slender and more than twice the length of the tarsometatarsus, and metatarsal IV longer than the other metatarsals. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Zhongjianornis is phylogenetically basal to Confuciusornis and the dominant Mesozoic avian groups, Enantiornithes and Ornithurae, and therefore provides significant new information regarding the diversification of birds in the Early Cretaceous. It also represents the most basal bird that completely lacks teeth, suggesting that tooth loss was more common than expected in early avian evolution and that the avian beak appeared independently in several avian lineages, most probably as a response to selective pressure for weight reduction. Finally, the presence of a significantly enlarged humeral deltopectoral crest suggests that Zhongjianornis shares with other basal birds such as Jeholornis, Sapeornis and Confuciusornis a distinctive mode of adaptation for flight contrasting with that seen in more advanced birds, which instead possess an elongated sternum and a prominent keel.

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“…Previously, the geologically youngest known microraptorines came from the Jiufotang Formation of northeastern China's Jehol Group (24) (Ϸ120 Ma) (45). The discovery of Hesperonychus in the Dinosaur Park Formation (Ϸ75 Ma) (29) therefore extends the range of the clade by Ϸ45 million years, more than half the length of the Cretaceous.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A microraptorine (Dinosauria–Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of North America

Longrich

Currie

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

101

114

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The fossil assemblages of the Late Cretaceous of North America are dominated by large-bodied dinosaur species. Associated skeletons of small dinosaurs are exceedingly rare, and small (<10 kg) carnivorous theropods have not previously been reported from these beds. Here, we describe a small dromaeosaurid from the 75-millionyear-old Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada. Hesperonychus elizabethae gen. et sp. nov. is represented by a pelvic girdle from an animal weighing Ϸ1,900 g. Despite its size, the pubes and ilia are coossified, indicating that the animal was somatically mature. This is the smallest carnivorous, nonavian dinosaur known from North America. Phylogenetic analysis of Hesperonychus reveals that it is not closely related to previously described North American dromaeosaurids. Instead, Hesperonychus is a member of the dromaeosaurid clade Microraptorinae, a group containing the 4-winged Microraptor and the feathered Sinornithosaurus, both from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of China. Hesperonychus is the youngest known member of this lineage, extending the temporal range of the clade by 45 million years, and it is the first microraptorine known from North America, providing further evidence for an affinity between the dinosaur faunas of North America and Asia. Study of fossil collections from the Dinosaur Park and Oldman formations of Alberta has revealed numerous isolated bones of small, basal dromaeosaurids, which are tentatively referred to Hesperonychus. These fossils suggest that small dromaeosaurids were a significant component of the carnivore community in this Late Cretaceous biota.Campanian ͉ Dinosaur Park Formation ͉ microraptorinae ͉ theropoda

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Timing of the Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China, and its implications

Cited by 187 publications

References 18 publications

Discovery of an ornithurine bird and its implication for Early Cretaceous avian radiation

Discovery of an ornithurine bird and its implication for Early Cretaceous avian radiation

A new Lower Cretaceous bird from China and tooth reduction in early avian evolution

A microraptorine (Dinosauria–Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of North America

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