High-precision Ar/Ar age for the Jehol Biota

Abundant fossils of the terrestrial Jehol Biota, including plants, insects, dinosaurs, birds, mammals and freshwater invertebrates, were discovered from the Yixian Formation and the overlying Jiufotang Formation in Inner Mongolia, Hebei Province and Liaoning Province, northeastern China. Because of the exceptional preservation of fossils, the Jehol Biota is one of the most important Mesozoic lagerstätten and is referred to as a “Mesozoic Pompeii”. The Jehol Biota has provided a rare opportunity to address questions about the origin of birds, the evolution of feathers and flight, the early diversification of angiosperms and the timing of placental mammal radiation. Six tuff samples and two basalt samples collected from the Tuchengzi, the Yixian and the Jiufotang formations near the classic outcrops in western Liaoning, NE China yielded high-precision ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. We obtain an age of 129.7 ± 0.5 Ma for a basaltic lava from the bottom of the Yixian Formation and an age of 122.1 ± 0.3 Ma for a tuff from the lowermost part of the overlying Jiufotang Formation. Our age results provide an age calibration of the whole Yixian Formation and show that the whole formation was deposited entirely within Early Cretaceous time over an interval of ~ 7 Ma.     

A whole-plant monocot from the Lower Cretaceous

The Yixian Formation (the Lower Cretaceous) of China is world famous for its fossils of early angiosperms. Despite their great diversity, few of these fossils are preserved as whole plants, making our understanding of early angiosperms incomplete. Here, we report a fossil angiosperm, Sinoherba ningchengensis n. gen. n. sp. (Sinoherbaceae n. fam.), from the Yixian Formation of China. The fossil is of a whole plant, including physically connected root with fibrous rootlets, a stem with branches and nodes, leaves with parallel-reticulate veins, and a panicle of female flowers with an ovary surrounded by perianth. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal that Sinoherba is an herbaceous monocot. This fossil underscores the great diversity of angiosperms in the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation and an earlier, pre-Cretaceous origin of angiosperms.     

豫西马市坪盆地早白垩世热河昆虫群的发现及其地层学意义*

热河生物群是保存最好的白垩纪陆地生物群, 是世界上最重要的特异埋藏化石宝库之一。热河生物群的三阶段演化学说认为该生物群在第二演化阶段往南至秦岭、大别山一带, 包括河南西部和南部地区。早期研究记录表明河南西部地区产出热河生物群的代表分子三尾拟蜉蝣化石。本文首次报道了河南西部南召县马市坪盆地南召组衍蜓科稚虫化石, 并对其形态特征进行了简要描述, 同时报道了与之伴生的三尾拟蜉蝣稚虫化石。衍蜓科稚虫是热河生物群的代表化石之一, 先前均记录于辽宁西部义县组及相当地层, 属于热河生物群第二演化阶段的特征分子。河南西部新发现的昆虫化石证实了热河生物群在其第二演化阶段已经到达该地区。同时, 本研究确定马市坪盆地南召组可与辽宁西部义县组相对比, 南召组的地质时代属于早白垩世而非晚侏罗世。     

The Earliest Normal Flower from Liaoning Province, China

The early evolution of angiosperms has been a focus of intensive research for more than a century. The Yixian Formation in western Liaoning yields one of the earliest angiosperm macrofloras. Despite multitudes of angiosperm fossils uncovered, including Archaefructus and Sinocarpus , no bona fide normal flower has been dated to 125 Ma (mega-annum) or older. Here we report Callianthus dilae gen. et sp. nov. from the Yixian Formation (Early Cretaceous) in western Liaoning, China as the earliest normal flower known to date. The flower demonstrates a typical floral organization, including tepals, androecium, and gynoecium. The tepals are spatulate with parallel veins. The stamens have a slender filament, a globular anther, bristles at the anther apex, and in situ round-triangular pollen grains. The gynoecium is composed of two stylate carpels enclosed in a fleshy envelope, and develops into a "hip" when mature. Since the well-accepted history of angiosperms is not much longer than 125 Ma, Callianthus together with Chaoyangia, Archaefructus and Sinocarpus from the Yixian Formation demonstrate a surprisingly high diversity of angiosperms, implying a history of angiosperms much longer than currently accepted.     

辽宁凌源及内蒙古宁城地区下白垩统义县组脊椎动物生物地层

辽宁凌源及相邻内蒙古南部宁城地区义县组发现多个重要脊椎动物化石地点,通过岩 石地层、脊椎动物生物地层和同位素年代地层对比,建立了该地区义县组地层层序。凌源一宁 城地区义县组有 ２个脊椎动物化石层位：下部道虎沟层含 Ｌｙｃｏｐｔｅｒａｅｒ Ｉｃｈｔｈｙｏｆａｕｎａ, Ｐｓｉｔｔａｃｏｓａｕｒｕｓ Ｆａｕｎａ和Ｃｏｎｆｕｃｉｕｓｏｒｎｉｓ Ａｖｉｆａｕｎａ等３个动物群,可以与北票尖山沟层的四合 屯脊椎动物化石群对比,层位相当于义县组一、三段;上部大王杖子（大新房子）层含 Ｌｙｃｏｐｔｅｒａ Ｉｃｈｔｈｙｏｆａｕｎａ和Ｌｉａｏｘｉｏｒｎｉｓ Ａｖｉｆａｕｎａ等２个动物群,为义县组中部沉积,在四合屯地 区缺失。冀北丰宁四岔口－森吉图地区义县组脊椎动物化石层对应于凌源大王杖子层;滦平 大北沟组为义县组最下部沉积,其上覆的大店子组相当于宁城道虎沟层和北票四合屯义县组 一、三段。热河群义县组和九佛堂组发现３个连续的鸟类群;义县组下部Ｃｏｎｆｕｃｉｕｓｏｒｎｉｓ Ａｖｉｆａｕｎａ、义县组中部Ｌｉａｏｘｉｏｒｎｉｓ Ａｖｉｆａｕｎａ和九佛堂组Ｃａｔｈａｙｏｒｎｉｓ－Ｃｈａｏｙａｎｇｉａ Ａｖｉｆａｕｎａ。义 县组和九佛堂组Ｌｙｃｏｐｔｅｒａ　Ｉ     

New fossil mantidflies (Insecta: Neuroptera: Mantispidae) from the Mesozoic of north‐eastern China

Abstract:  Three new genera and four new species of the extinct mantidfly subfamily Mesomantispinae (Insecta: Neuroptera: Mantispidae) are described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning and the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia: Archaeodrepanicus nuddsi gen. et sp. nov., A. acutus gen. et sp. nov., Sinomesomantispa microdentata gen. et sp. nov., (Yixian Formation) and Clavifemora rotundata gen. et sp. nov. (Jiulongshan Formation). The specimens described herein represent the first Mesozoic mantidfly compression fossils to have body parts preserved, including the specialized raptorial forelegs articulated to the prothorax anteriorly, an autapomorphy of the family. These new taxa further confirm the placement of the subfamily Mesomantispinae within the family Mantispidae; however, the monophyly of Mesomantispinae has not been confirmed, and it is likely that it will prove to be paraphyletic.     

记河北省后城组新发现之小型兽脚类足迹(英文)

几十年前人们就已经开始研究中国东北侏罗纪—白垩纪界线附近地层中的小型兽脚类恐龙足迹,虽然这些遗迹化石比辽宁省义县组带羽毛的恐龙及其他实体化石逊色了许多。本文记述了河北省承德南双庙后城组(土城子组)最下部河流相沉积中发现的一组兽脚类恐龙足迹。南双庙足迹具有三趾,趾粗大,其形态与美国下侏罗统经典的"brontozoid"足迹(Gral- lator,Anchisauripus和Eubrontes)相符。虽然许多产自辽宁土城子组中基本同时的brontozoid足迹被鉴定为小型的跷脚龙足迹属(Grallator),但南双庙足迹更大一些(全长可达28.8 cm),可能应该归入安琪龙足迹属(Anchisauripus)。南双庙足迹很可能是一群小型兽脚类行走而产生。在辽宁义县组的兽脚类恐龙中,最可能留下这类足迹的是小型的窃蛋龙类——尾羽龙(Caudipteryx)。不过这个解释还很勉强,因为这些足迹缺乏鉴定性特征,而且河北的后城组与辽宁的义县组之间还有一定的时间及地理间隔。     

INTRODUCTION TO MESOZOIC BIRDS FROM LIAONING,CHINA

l.IntroductionThestudyofMesozoicbirdsinChinadatedbacktotheearlyeightiesofthiscentury,whenGansuswasdiscoveredanddescribed(HouetLiu,l984).Sincethelateeighties,anumberofEarlyCretaceousbirdshavebeenfound,firstlyinWesternLiaoning(Zhou,l995),andshortlylaterinInnerMongolia(Dong,l993;Hou,l994)andHebeiProvince.Atthesametime,featherimpressionswerealsorecoveredinShandongProvince(Zhang,l992)andNingxiaAutonomousRegion.Particularlyimpor-tantisthatsincel994someLateJurassicbirdshavebeenfoundfromtheY…     

中国北方中生代晚期水生昆虫群落演替与环境变迁

列举了中侏罗统九龙山组水生昆虫9目28科52属70种,冀北、辽西义县组水生昆虫9目31科47属53种,以及伴生动植物.这些水生昆虫很可能不是自然死亡,而是突发性事件导致的突然死亡,化石为原地埋藏,没有经过搬运.根据统计的化石名录,初步建立了两时代的水生生态系统结构图,并恢复了它们所代表的生态环境.通过对比发现,中侏罗统九龙山组水生昆虫的物种多样性大于冀北、辽西义县组,中侏罗统九龙山组可能处于群落发展早期,生态系统相对不稳定,而冀北、辽西义县组处于群落发展的稳定时期,生态系统趋于成熟.两时代整体上都为温暖湿润的气候环境,但同时存在干旱.半干旱的小气候环境,且都分布有低地湖?自、溪流和沼泽等,这些水体都为低能水体环境.此外,都有高山存在,但这些水体环境在两时代存在差异,中侏罗统九龙山组水体相对较浅,水体面积相对较小,而冀北、辽西义县组水体相对较深,水体面积相对较大.     

中国石蚕巢化石(昆虫纲,毛翅目)的发现与初步研究

毛翅目昆虫幼虫俗称石蚕,大部分石蚕就地取材,构筑不同形状,不同质地的巢,多数为管状.石蚕巢化石是一类较重要的遗迹化石,在国外中、新生代报道较多,但在我国未见发表.本文根据作者十多年来在华北及东北地区的大量野外工作,报道了石蚕巢化石在我国的发现.介绍了石蚕巢在中侏罗世道虎沟动物群,早白垩世热河动物群及卢尚坟昆虫群中的类型与特征.石蚕巢是我国遗迹化石研究中的薄弱环节,实际上它们在中生代中期以后的陆相地层分布很广.由于这类昆虫对水质变化的敏感性和适应的相对狭隘性,可用于恢复古环境.一些特殊类型的出现,对地层对比也将起到作用.     

Discovery of the Jehol Biota from the Celaomiao region and discussion of the Lower Cretaceous of the Bayingebi Basin,northwestern China

Some typical components of the Jehol Biota, including conchostracans Eosestheria sp., the mayfly Ephemeropsis trisetalis Eichwald, 1864, the aquatic beetle Coptoclava longipoda Ping, 1928, and a fragmentary dragonfly, are reported for the first time from the Bayingebi Formation in the Celaomiao region, western Inner Mongolia, China. This discovery indicates that the middle Upper Member of Bayingebi Formation can be correlated with the upper Yixian and the lower Jiufotang formations in western Liaoning Province. Combining it with the radio-isotopic dating result, we further believed that the Upper Member of Bayingebi Formation could be roughly correlated with the Yixian, Jiufotang, and Shahai formations, and the overlying Suhongtu Formation with the Fuxin Formation in western Liaoning Province.In the major Bayingebi Basin, palaeontological and radio-isotopic dating evidence shows that the Bayingebi Formation has a long depositional history of over 30 Ma: its Upper Member bearing the Jehol Biota and the early Fuxin Biota is probably coeval to the Yixian, Jiufotang and Shahai formations and has a Barremian–early Albian age; its Lower Member may be Berriasian–Hauterivian in age and could be correlated with the upper Tuchengzi, Zhangjiakou, and Dabeigou formations in northern Hebei Province. This suggests that the Bayingebi Formation should be promoted to the stratigraphic rank of group and subdivided into several secondary units (formations). Unlike the previous result, the Yingen Formation is considered across the Lower Cretaceous–Upper Cretaceous boundary and being late Albian–early Turonian in age.     

Liaoxia Cao et S.Q. Wu (Gnetales): ephedroids from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning, northeastern China

Gnetalean compression-impression fossils are described from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, Liaoning Province, north-eastern China, and assigned to six species of Liaoxia Cao et S.Q. Wu. The fossils have opposite-decussate phyllotaxis and cones comprising 2–12 pairs of bracts. Ovulate cones have seeds typically in a distal position. The species differ from each other and from previously described fossils in the absence or presence of leaves, shape of cones and seeds, and shape and position of cone bracts. The species of Liaoxia are probably close relatives of extant species of Ephedra L., but diagnostic reproductive details that could confirm this hypothesis are not preserved. The restricted information in the fossils and the poorly understood morphological diversity of extant Ephedra, prevent assignment of the fossils to any particular subgroup of Ephedra, as well as an explicit exclusion of them from the extant genus.     

辽西义县下白垩统沙海组木化石新材料

辽西地区下白垩统沙海组是我国北方地区重要的白垩纪木化石产出层位,其产出的木化石数量丰富、类型多样.尽管前人开展了部分研究,但目前对沙海组木化石植物群组成特征的认识仍相对薄弱.本文报道了辽西义县上石洞沟地区沙海组产出的木化石新材料,共鉴定出2属3种,分别为:Phyllocladoxylon cf.eboracense(H...     

河北侏罗-白垩纪界线最古老的恐爪龙类足迹

记述中国河北省赤城县倪家沟化石点一组恐龙行迹,并命名一新属新种--中国猛龙足迹(Menglongipus sinensis ichnogen.et ichnosp.nov.).足迹来自土城子组,位于侏罗-白孚纪界线.相邻的义县组曾发现最古老的恐爪龙类骨骼化石,而中国猛龙足迹的发现表明恐爪龙类早在义县组之前便出现在该地区.中国猛龙足迹的造迹者体长约65cm,非常接近于基十的近鸟类.此外,为四川伶盗龙足迹(Velociraptorichnus sichuanensis)的模式标本提供更多细节,并讨论驰龙类足迹型与其他兽脚类足迹之间的联系.     

辽宁西部晚中生代地层研究之进展及存在问题——辽宁西部晚中生代地层和鱼群研究之四

辽宁西部晚中生代地层的综合层序为:义县组、九佛堂组、沙海组/张老公屯组、阜新组和孙家湾组.中西部朝阳—喀左—建昌以及凌源—三十家子盆地的义县组大致相当于东部阜新—义县—锦州盆地的狭义义县组及其底部的北票尖山含化石沉积夹层;中西部的九佛堂组则可与东部的金刚山、吐呼鲁和九佛堂三个岩组相对比;张老公屯组火山岩在层序上大部分可能位于九佛堂组和阜新组之间.以北票鲟、中华弓鳍鱼和狼鳍鱼为代表的鱼类化石普遍见于中国北方热河群及其相当岩群的下部河湖相地层中,以粒鳞鱼、固阳鱼和副狼鳍鱼为代表的鱼类化石多见于上部的扇三角洲和湖沼相含煤地层中.热河群及相当岩群时代的确定以及陆相侏罗—白垩系界线的厘定受制于目前地层和生物化石的研究程度.从鱼群的面貌看,义县—九佛堂组、沙海—阜新组及相当地层的时代可能分别为晚侏罗世晚期—早白垩世早期和早白垩世中期.     

球形小壳化石在贵州金沙寒武系牛蹄塘组的首次发现

贵州金沙岩孔剖面的寒武系牛蹄塘组为跨阶地层,以镍钼矿层为分界面,其上部属于筇竹寺阶,下部为梅树村阶。近期,作者利用15%左右的醋酸浸泡金沙岩孔剖面牛蹄塘组底部(梅树村阶)的岩样,发现了以球形化石为主的单胞、多胞球形类小壳动物化石,包括Olivooides pearformis和其余两类未确定的球形化石。此次球形化石的发现不仅丰富了牛蹄塘生物群的生物面貌,而且为解译早期后生动物的起源和演化、胚胎生物学提供了化石资料。     

北京昌平青白口系痕迹化石

北京昌平青白口系长龙山组和景儿峪组发育有丰富的痕迹化石,其中长龙山组产有Ｈｅｌｍｉｎｔｈｏｐｓｉｓ ｓｐ．,Ｃｏｃｈｌｉｃｈｎｕｓ ｓｐ．,代表潮下低能环境;景儿峪组产有Ｓｋｏｌｉｔｈｏｓ ｓｐ．和Ｍｏｎｏｃｒａｔｅｒｉｏｎ ｓｐ．,代表高能潮间环境。     

河北和辽宁晚侏罗世古蝉化石(同翅目:头喙亚目)(英文)

本文描述古蝉科化石2新属、6新种,即Liaocossushuegen.etsp.nov.,L.beipiaoensisgen.etsp．nov,L．exiguusgen．etsp．nov,L．fengningensisgen．etsp．nov,L．Pingquanensisgen.etsp.nov.,Miracossusingentiusgen．etsp．nov.。这批化石保存有完整的虫体标本,使作者能够进一步研究古蝉类化石的虫体特征。化石采于冀北和辽西晚侏罗世义县组地层中,保存在中国地质博物馆。     

新疆塔里木盆地奥陶纪冷水型胞石

文内描述了在新疆塔里木盆地覆盖区QB-1井(黑土凹线)和TZ-32井(却尔却克组)中发现的3种奥陶纪冷水型胞石.即Tanuchitina sp.cf.achabae Paris,Linochitina pissotensis Paris和Siphonochitina bella sp.nov.,时代为中到晚奥陶世。冷水型胞石在奥陶纪主要分布于冈瓦纳大陆北缘和英国等中高纬度地区,沿冈瓦纳大陆边缘向北的洋流将这些中高纬度的表层冷水型胞石带入低纬度的塔里木板块内,热带下沉作用能使它们在深水的盆地相中获得适宜的环境温度而得以生存。