First Early Jurassic Ornithischian and theropod footprint assemblage and a new ichnotaxon Shenmuichnus wangi ichnosp. nov. from Yunnan Province,southwestern China |
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| Authors: | Lida Xing Martin G Lockley Jianping Zhang Hailu You Hendrik Klein W Scott Persons IV |
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| Institution: | 1. School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, P.R. Chinaxinglida@gmail.com;3. Dinosaur Tracks Museum, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA;4. School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, P.R. China;5. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China;6. Saurierwelt Pal?ontologisches Museum, Neumarkt, Germany;7. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada |
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| Abstract: | The new ichnospecies, Shenmuichnus wangi ichnosp. nov., is the first evidence for the presence of large ornithischians in the Early Jurassic of Yunnan Province, whereas the known skeletal record documents small species only. Until now Shenmuichnus was known from a single locality in Shaanxi Province by the ichnospecies Shenmuichnus youngteilhardorum. Compared with the latter, Shenmuichnus wangi is larger and shows a different trackway configuration, particularly in the relative position of manus and pes imprints. Palecologically, the occurrence of Shenmuichnus wangi in a red bed facies indicates the preference of distinctive environments of trackmakers of both ichnospecies, questioning former hypotheses of exclusivity of ornithischians in more humid climates. By abundance both skeletons and footprints of ornithischians suggest their role as a minor component in Early Jurassic saurischian dominated dinosaur faunas in this region. |
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| Keywords: | Early Jurassic Lufeng Basin dinosaur tracks ornithischians Shenmuichnus |
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