Late Triassic sauropodomorph and Middle Jurassic theropod tracks from the Xichang Basin, Sichuan Province, southwestern China: First report of the ichnogenus Carmelopodus

Journal of Palaeogeography

W. Scott Persons, IV¹  Martin G. Lockley²  Hendrik Klein³  Anthony Romilio⁴  Chun-Yong Chou⁵  Sheng-Wu Yan⁶  Jin Ba⁶  Li-Da Xing⁷ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 116 St & 85 Ave, Edmonton AB T6G 2R3, Alberta, Canada;Dinosaur Trackers Research Group, University of Colorado Denver, PO Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217, USA;Saurierwelt Paläontologisches Museum, AlteRicht 7, D-92318 Neumarkt, Germany;School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia;School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China;Sichuan Institute of Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, Sichuan Province, China;State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China;

关键词: Sauropodomorph;    Theropod;    Footprint;    Ichnofossil;    Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation;    Middle Jurassic Shaximiao Formation;    Xichang Basin;    Sichuan Province;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jop.2017.11.004

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Upper Triassic and Middle Jurassic strata of the Xichang Basin in Sichuan Province, southwestern China, yielded important dinosaur ichnofossils. From the Xujiahe Formation of the Yiguojiao tracksite, we report a Late Triassic footprint assemblage in China and the first discovery of diagnostic Triassic sauropodomorph tracks in this region. The tracks share a number of features in common with the ichnogenera Eosauropus (Late Triassic) and Liujianpus (Early Jurassic). The neighboring Bingtu tracksite is stratigraphically younger (Shaximiao Formation, Middle Jurassic) and preserves small tridactyl theropod tracks that represent the first occurrence of the ichnotaxon Carmelopodus in China and Asia. While these tracks are morphologically comparable to those from the Middle Jurassic type locality in North America, the specimens from China show the proximal margin of the digit IV impression in a more cranial position, which may indicate a trackmaker with a relatively short metatarsal IV. In addition to the skeletal record, the Carmelopodus footprints document the presence of small theropods in the dinosaur fauna of the Middle Jurassic Shaximiao Formation.

【 授权许可】

Unknown