A new basal hadrosauriform dinosaur (Ornithischia: Iguanodontia) from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 949-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-Lu You ◽  
Da-Qing Li
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
North America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Occipital Condyle ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Asian Origin ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Early Late

A new hadrosauriform dinosaur, Jintasaurus meniscus gen. et sp. nov., is reported from the Lower Cretaceous Xinminpu Group of the Yujingzi Basin, Jiuquan area, Gansu Province, northwestern China. It is represented by an articulated posterior portion of the skull and is unique in having an extremely long, pendant and crescentic paroccipital process with its ventral tip projecting far beyond the ventral level of the occipital condyle. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Jintasaurus as the sister-taxon to Hadrosauroidea, more derived than other Early Cretaceous hadrosauriforms and Protohadros from the early Late Cretaceous of North America. This discovery adds one more close relative to Hadrosauroidea in Asia and supports an Asian origin for this group.

scholarly journals Previously Unrecognized Ornithuromorph Bird Diversity in the Early Cretaceous Changma Basin, Gansu Province, Northwestern China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e77693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-Ming Wang ◽  
Jingmai K. O'Connor ◽  
Da-Qing Li ◽  
Hai-Lu You
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Bird Diversity

A morphological phylogenetic analysis of Aesculus L. and Billia Peyr. (Sapindaceae)

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félix Forest ◽  
Josée Nadia Drouin ◽  
René Charest ◽  
Luc Brouillet ◽  
Anne Bruneau
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
North America ◽  
Central America ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
North American ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Character Evolution ◽  
The Other ◽  
Eastern Asia ◽  
Asian Origin

The hippocastanaceous Sapindaceae (family Hippocastanaceae) consists of two genera: Aesculus and Billia. The genus Aesculus (buckeyes) is distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. Twelve of the thirteen species of Aesculus are found in eastern Asia and North America, and one is native to Europe. The two species of the genus Billia are found in South and Central America. Aesculus is traditionally divided into five sections. This analysis, based on morphological characters, suggests that the monotypic section Parryanae (Aesculus parryi Gray) is sister to the remainder of the genus, and the other species are divided into two clades. One clade comprises all species from southeastern North America with the monotypic section Macrothyrsus (Aesculus parviflora Walt.) as sister to section Pavia. The other clade consists of all species found in Eurasia included in sections Aesculus and Calothyrsus, with the only North American member of this clade (Aesculus californica (Spach) Nutall) as sister to the rest of the group. According to this analysis, section Calothyrsus is rendered paraphyletic by the inclusion of section Aesculus. In contrast to previous studies that suggest an Asian origin for the genus, our study suggests an American origin for Aesculus from an ancestor similar to Billia with a single migration to Eurasia via the Bering land bridge.Key words: Aesculus, Billia, character evolution, Hippocastanaceae, morphology, phylogeny, Sapindaceae.

A new specimen of Suzhousaurus megatherioides (Dinosauria: Therizinosauroidea) from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China

2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 769-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da-qing Li ◽  
Hai-lu You ◽  
Jian-ping Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Anterior Margin ◽  
Cladistic Analysis ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Postcranial Skeleton ◽  
Left Half

A new specimen of a therizinosauroid dinosaur recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Xinminpu Group in the Yujingzi Basin of the Jiuquan area, Gansu Province, northwestern China, consists of a partial postcranial skeleton, including a well-preserved left half of the pelvic girdle. It is referred to Suzhousaurus megatherioides Li et al., 2007 based on the autapomorphic anterior concavity of its pubic shaft and is the second known specimen of this taxon. Comparisons of the structure of therizinosauroid pelvic girdles show that the pelvis of Suzhousaurus possesses several unique features, including a laterally deflected, thin, and flat preacetabular process of the ilium, a smoothly curved anterodorsal margin of the preacetabular process of the ilium, and a concave anterior margin of the pubic shaft. Cladistic analysis confirms that Suzhousaurus is more derived than the Early Cretaceous therizinosauroids Falcarius and Beipiaosaurus , less derived than Late Cretaceous forms, and likely closely related to Alxasaurus from the Early Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China.

A new fossil bird from the Early Cretaceous of Gansu Province, northwestern China

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
You Hailu ◽  
Jingmai O'Connor ◽  
Luis M. Chiappe ◽  
Ji Qiang
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Fossil Bird

A second enantiornithean (Aves: Ornithothoraces) wing from the Early Cretaceous Xiagou Formation near Changma, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 547-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerald D Harris ◽  
Matthew C Lamanna ◽  
Hai-lu You ◽  
Shu-an Ji ◽  
Qiang Ji
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
People's Republic Of China ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
New Name ◽  
New Information ◽  
Left Humerus

A new specimen of an enantiornithean bird from the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation of Gansu Province, northwestern China, consists of an articulated distal left humerus, ulna, radius, carpus, and manus. The specimen may represent a primitive enantiornithean because it lacks a longitudinal sulcus on the radius, has incompletely fused alular and major metacarpals, and possibly retains a remnant of a second phalanx on the minor digit. It differs from all other known enantiornitheans, and exhibits possible autapomorphies, including peculiar, flat humeral epicondyles, a pair of eminences on the distal minor metacarpal, and an enormous flexor tuberculum on the alular ungual. The specimen probably pertains to the same taxon as a previously described enantiornithean arm from Changma; the incompleteness of the taxon precludes erecting a new name, but it provides new information concerning enantiornithean diversity in the Early Cretaceous of central Asia.

scholarly journals A new paravian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of North America supports a late acquisition of avian flight

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Hartman ◽  
Mickey Mortimer ◽  
William R. Wahl ◽  
Dean R. Lomax ◽  
Jessica Lippincott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
North America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Late Jurassic ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Morrison Formation ◽  
Postcranial Skeleton ◽  
Avian Flight ◽  
Multiple Alternative ◽  
Limb Proportions

The last two decades have seen a remarkable increase in the known diversity of basal avialans and their paravian relatives. The lack of resolution in the relationships of these groups combined with attributing the behavior of specialized taxa to the base of Paraves has clouded interpretations of the origin of avialan flight. Here, we describeHesperornithoides miesslerigen. et sp. nov., a new paravian theropod from the Morrison Formation (Late Jurassic) of Wyoming, USA, represented by a single adult or subadult specimen comprising a partial, well-preserved skull and postcranial skeleton. Limb proportions firmly establishHesperornithoidesas occupying a terrestrial, non-volant lifestyle. Our phylogenetic analysis emphasizes extensive taxonomic sampling and robust character construction, recovering the new taxon most parsimoniously as a troodontid close toDaliansaurus,Xixiasaurus, andSinusonasus. Multiple alternative paravian topologies have similar degrees of support, but proposals of basal paravian archaeopterygids, avialan microraptorians, andRahonavisbeing closer to Pygostylia than archaeopterygids or unenlagiines are strongly rejected. All parsimonious results support the hypothesis that each early paravian clade was plesiomorphically flightless, raising the possibility that avian flight originated as late as the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous.

The early evolution of the Tyrannosauridae in Asia

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1176-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Manabe
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
North America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Early Evolution ◽  
Land Bridge ◽  
Early Late

An isolated premaxillary tooth of a tyrannosaurid from the Lower Cretaceous section of the Tetori Group, Central Honshu, Japan, complements Siamotyrannus, which is based upon an incomplete postcranium for existence of tyrannosaurids in the Early Cretaceous of Asia. The occurrence of a tyrannosaurid tooth in the Japanese early Early Cretaceous further supports the possibility that tyrannosaurids originated during the Early Cretaceous in Asia and migrated to North America when the two continents were connected via a land bridge during the early Late Cretaceous. Thickening of the premaxillary teeth might have predated the increase in body size in tyrannosaurid evolution.

scholarly journals A possible brachiosaurid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the mid-Cretaceous of northeastern China

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11957
Author(s):  
Chun-Chi Liao ◽  
Andrew Moore ◽  
Changzhu Jin ◽  
Tzu-Ruei Yang ◽  
Masateru Shibata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
North America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Late Jurassic ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Northeastern China

Brachiosauridae is a lineage of titanosauriform sauropods that includes some of the most iconic non-avian dinosaurs. Undisputed brachiosaurid fossils are known from the Late Jurassic through the Early Cretaceous of North America, Africa, and Europe, but proposed occurrences outside this range have proven controversial. Despite occasional suggestions that brachiosaurids dispersed into Asia, to date no fossils have provided convincing evidence for a pan-Laurasian distribution for the clade, and the failure to discover brachiosaurid fossils in the well-sampled sauropod-bearing horizons of the Early Cretaceous of Asia has been taken to evidence their genuine absence from the continent. Here we report on an isolated sauropod maxilla from the middle Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian) Longjing Formation of the Yanji basin of northeast China. Although the specimen preserves limited morphological information, it exhibits axially twisted dentition, a shared derived trait otherwise known only in brachiosaurids. Referral of the specimen to the Brachiosauridae receives support from phylogenetic analysis under both equal and implied weights parsimony, providing the most convincing evidence to date that brachiosaurids dispersed into Asia at some point in their evolutionary history. Inclusion in our phylogenetic analyses of an isolated sauropod dentary from the same site, for which an association with the maxilla is possible but uncertain, does not substantively alter these results. We consider several paleobiogeographic scenarios that could account for the occurrence of a middle Cretaceous Asian brachiosaurid, including dispersal from either North America or Europe during the Early Cretaceous. The identification of a brachiosaurid in the Longshan fauna, and the paleobiogeographic histories that could account for its presence there, are hypotheses that can be tested with continued study and excavation of fossils from the Longjing Formation.

Early Cretaceous (?early late Albian) echinoderms from northeastern British Columbia, Canada

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
William I. Ausich ◽  
Charles R. Stelck ◽  
A. Guy Plint ◽  
Robin A. Buckley ◽  
Piotr J. Angiel
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
North America ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
First Report ◽  
Peace River ◽  
Stalked Crinoids ◽  
Early Late

An echinoderm association is reported from the ?early late Albian Paddy Member of the Peace River Formation of British Columbia, Canada. The association includes Frasericrinus mauricensis gen. et sp. nov., two additional distinctive crinoid column types, a poorly preserved asteroid, and an umbilical fragment of the cephalopod Stelckiceras. This is the first report of a Cretaceous isocrinid from North America. The echinoderm fossils are from the top of a succession of storm-deposited sandstones and mudstones (Boulder Creek Formation) that can be correlated southward into nearshore and terrestrial facies of the Paddy Member of the Peace River Formation. The echinoderm fossils were buried (and probably lived) about 12–14 km from the contemporaneous shoreline in an estimated water depth of 10–20 m. Integration of biostratigraphic and allostratigraphic schemes suggests that the echinoderms are of earliest late Albian age. The association of the echinoderm fauna with ammonites of Boreal affinity indicates deposition in northern waters, although the presence of Tethyan inoceramids in apparently coeval Paddy Member strata 270 km to the east suggests that northward-advancing water from the Gulf of Mexico had reached northwestern Alberta, if not actually merged with the Boreal embayment. The nearshore occurrence of Cretaceous stalked crinoids is indicative of an asynchronous, gradual migration of stalked crinoids to deep-water habitats, to which they are restricted in modern oceans.

Earliest occurrence of the Pteranodontidae (Archosauria: Pterosauria) in North America: new material from the Austin Group of Texas

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 1071-1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy S. Myers
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
North Texas ◽  
Diagnostic Features ◽  
Eagle Ford ◽  
New Material ◽  
Early Late

Remains of a pteranodontid pterosaur are recorded in the basal Austin Group of North Texas. The specimen described here comprises a partial left wing and strongly resemblesPteranodonalthough diagnostic features of that genus are lacking. With an estimated early Coniacian age, this specimen represents the earliest occurrence of the Pteranodontidae in North America and the second earliest occurrence worldwide, predated only byOrnithostomafrom the Cambridge Greensand of England. Pterosaur material recovered from the Eagle Ford and Austin groups of Texas records an early Late Cretaceous change in the composition of North American pterosaur communities between the late Cenomanian and the early Coniacian. This faunal transition appears to be primarily a decrease in morphological disparity rather than a significant reduction in taxonomic diversity. However, the lack of Early CretaceousLagerstättenin North America may produce underestimates of true pterosaur richness during this interval, thereby obscuring a subsequent drop in diversity.

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