An Important Ornithischian Tracksite in the Early Jurassic of the Shenmu Region,Shaanxi,China

A large track site with multiple, well-preserved trackways of an Early Jurassic quadrupedal ornithischian dinosaur is the first report of Moyenisauripus-like trackways from Asia, herein named Shenmuichnus youngteilhardorum. The tracks occur in a clastic fluvial sequence in the Fuxian Formation in Shenmu County, Shaanxi Province, which is in the same general region as the discovery site of Sinoichnites, the first dinosaur track reported from China. Based on size and morphology, it is likely that Sinoichnites, which is now lost, also represents an ornithischian. The Shenmuichnus youngteilhardorum trackways show two modes of preservation： the first representing deeper tracks, with sediment rims, results in Deltapodus-like tracks, with indistinct pes digit traces and sub-circular manus traces, the second produces Moyenosauripus-like tracks, with clear tridactyl and pentadactyl digit traces in the pes and manus respectively. Thus the Shenmu trackways play a key role in resolving globally significant ichnotaxonomic problems surrounding the nomenclature of Sinoichnites, Moyenosauripus, Deltapodus and other named （Ravatichnus） and unnamed trackways from Asia, Africa and Europe. In addition they shed important light on the paleogeographical and paleoecological distribution of quadrupedal ornithischians in the Early Mesozoic. The track site has been the focus of a major excavation to transfer the trackways from their original remote location to the new Shenmu Museum, in Shenmu City. Other tracksites in the area which reveal Anomoepus, Grallator and the Deltapodus morphotype, together with Shenmuichnus and plant fossil evidence, suggest an Early Jurassic age for the tracksite.

First Report of Avian Tracks from the Cretaceous of Tibet, China

Objective Despite a large number of bird fossils in the Jehol Biota, Mesozoic bird records from other parts of China are dominated by tracks. Late Cretaceous bird tracks are rarely found in China. Reliable reports so far include a Dongyangornipes and Koreanaornis assemblage of early Late Cretaceous age from Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province, China （Azuma et al., 2013）. Buckley et al. （2016） consider Dongyangornipes sinensis a subjective junior synonym of Uhangrichnus chuni. Type Uhangrichnus chuni （Yang et al. 1995; Lockley et al., 2012） from the Uhangri Formation, Hwangsan Basin of South Korea is Late Cretaceous in age, and the trackrnaker was a web-footed avian.

内蒙古乌拉特中旗恐龙足迹研究

2006年内蒙古地质环境监测院在乌拉特中旗海流图镇西10公里处发现一恐龙足迹化石点。由于恐龙足迹产地的地层研究程度较低,因此这批恐龙足迹的研究在地层年代确定、以及恢复古环境方面具有重大意义。共识别出脊椎动物足迹化石119个,其中大部分为恐龙足迹,包括兽脚类恐龙足迹:玫瑰实雷龙足迹(Eubrontes glenrosensis)、海流图卡岩塔足迹(Kayentapus hailiutuensis ichnosp.nov)和鸟脚类恐龙足迹中型异样龙足迹种(Anomoepus intermedius),以及鳄类足迹的蛙步足迹,其中海流图卡岩塔足迹(Kayentapus hailiutuensisichnosp.nov)为新种。根据足迹形态的对比,推断造迹恐龙分别为兽脚类恐龙中的巨齿龙类(Megalosaurus)和双脊龙类(Dilophosaurus)以及鸟脚类恐龙棱齿龙类(Hypsilophodont)。通过对比发现乌拉特与波兰Opatw附近的Podole地区的早侏罗世的足迹组合十分相似,因此建议将乌拉特中旗海流图的足迹及含足迹地层的年代归入侏罗纪早期。根据对足迹产地附近的地层剖面的研究以及足迹组合中含大量鸟脚类恐龙足迹的事实推断:侏罗纪早期研究区古环境为山涧河流环境,雨量充沛。

Theropod assemblages and a new ichnotaxon Gigandipus chiappei ichnosp.nov.from the Jiaguan Formation,Lower Cretaceous of Guizhou Province,China

A newly discovered Jiaguan Formation(Lower Cretaceous) tracksite from the Linjiang region of Guizhou Province, China, reveals the first example of a Cretaceous track morphotype attributable to the non-avian theropod ichnogenus Gigandipus, here named Gigandipus chiappei ichnosp nov. The theropod dominated locality also reveals the second report of the avian theropod ichnogenus Wupus, one of the largest avian traces currently known from the Lower Cretaceous. The Linjiang site provides evidence to support previous interpretations of a distinctive Lower Cretaceous theropod-dominated ichnofauna that was widespread in China and East Asia and highlights the similarity between Lower Cretaceous theropod ichnotaxa in East Asia and those found in the Lower Jurassic both in East Asia and elsewhere. These similarities in turn create various ichnotaxonomic challenges familiar to researchers working on theropod tracks, and we recommend caution in the naming of new theropod ichnotaxa at the ichnogenus level.

A new Early Cretaceous dinosaur track assemblage and the first definite non-avian theropod swim trackway from China

The trackway of a swimming theropod (ichnogenus Characichnos) is reported from the Lower Cretaceous Feitianshan Formation of Sichuan, China. These swim tracks help confirm that non-avian theropods were capable of forging moderately deep bodies of water. The trackway occurs on the same surface as a typical walking trackway of a sauropod (ichnogenus Brontopodus). Both occurrences are the first reported from the Cretaceous of Sichuan, and the swim tracks are the first well-preserved example of a Characichnos trackway from China. Additionally, a theropod walking trackway and several ornithopod walking trackways (similar to the ichnogenus Caririchnium) occur in the same horizon. The ornithopod trackways show a parallel orientation, suggesting gregarious behavior of the trackmakers, which may have been iguanodontiforms and/or hadrosauriforms. The co-occurrence of theropod swim tracks and theropod walking tracks suggests a fluctuation of water depth within a distinct time span.

Lower Cretaceous sauropod trackways from Lishui City and an overview of dinosaur dominated track assemblages from Zhejiang Province, China

A relatively small number of tetrapod tracksites from Zhejiang Province fills out the fossil record from that region,which is also known to have yielded both saurischian（titanosauriform, coelurosaur） and ornithischian（basal ornithopod, ankylosaurian） body fossils as well as dinosaurian eggs. We use photogrammetry and 3 D imaging to reinterpret the sauropod tracks from Lishui City, which revealed the existence of trackways. The track record from three documented sites in Zhejiang Province includes avian and non-avian theropod, sauropod, ornithopod and pterosaur tracks. Previous work showed that the purported new bird ichnospecies Dongyangornipes sinensis is a synonym of Uhangrichnus chuni, while we here consider Pteraichnus dongyangensis as a nomen dubium. Such ＂provincial ichnotaxonomy＂ may mask similarities in the ichnofauna across large regions. In fact, we show that the ichnofauna is similar to that found in the Early Cretaceous elsewhere in China.

中国甘肃省中铺地区下白垩统河口群的兽脚类与蜥脚类足迹组合(英文)

近年来,中国西北部兰州-民和盆地的中铺地区河口群发现了一批恐龙骨骼化石和足迹化石。中铺地区的蜥脚类与兽脚类足迹组合相对丰富,但大多数标本保存较差。大夏足迹点发现了保存较好的类似亚洲足迹的跷脚龙类足迹(Asianopodus-like grallatorid tracks),足迹有着中趾弱前凸(weak mesaxony)。李家沟一号点的足迹组合包括了较大的兽脚类足迹和大型的、非三趾型四足类足迹,后者可能是蜥脚类足迹。李家沟二号点的足迹为多层的蜥脚类足迹,这表明了这类恐龙的活跃性,巨龙类的骨骸也可能来自同一层位。虽然中铺足迹组合不如同属河口群的盐锅峡足迹组合那么具有多样化与得以充分暴露,但依然体现了该地区以及中国早白垩世地层的典型足迹组合。