Table of Content

15 June 1996, Volume 34 Issue 02

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THE DISCOVERY OF LIVOSTEUS FROM THE LOWER DEVONIAN OF YUNNAN, CHINA

Wang Junqing

1996, 34(02):  84-90. 

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A new species of the Arthrodira, Livosteus sinensis sp. nov., is described from the Jiucheng Formation (Emsian, Lower Devonian) of Wuding, Yunnan. Livosteus was originally found in Latvia. Its discovery in the Jiucheng Formation represents the second occurrence of the genus in the world, and provides a basis for comparing continental formations and for studying paleogeography, since these two localities arc far away from each other.

A NEW SEMIONOTID FISH FROM THE JURASSIC OF SICHUAN BASIN AND ITS BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC SIGNIFICANCE

Su Dezao

1996, 34(02):  91-101. 

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The fossil fishes described here were collected from the Upper Shaximiao Formation of Zizhong, Sichuan, and are referred to a new genus and species, Tianfuichthys spinodorsalis, of the Semionotidae. Tianfuichthys resembles Semionotus in many respects, and Neolepidotes in some respects. It is characterized by extraordinarily spine-shaped dorsal ridge-scales, large parietals, few suborbitals, lacking fringing fulcra, and distinguished from all the known genera in the family. By Tianfuichthys and known fossil fishes, the age of the fish-bearing beds is probably Middle Jurassic. This new discovery is of great signific ance to the study of the biostratigraphy in Sichuan Basin.

NEW ADVANCES IN THE LATE MESOZOIC STRATIGRAPHIC RESEARCH OF WESTERN LIAONING, CHINA

Jin Fan

1996, 34(02):  102-122. 

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The study of the Late Mesozoic deposits (generally called "Jehol Group" except for the uppermost Sunjiawan Formation) of western Liaoning was initiated early in this century, but the stratigraphic sequence of the Jehol Group, its correlation with the corresponding non-marine strata in northern China and the age assignment have long been controversial issues. The present paper is to deal with these problems mainly based on the data of fossil fishes. The Late Mesozoic lithostratigraphic succession in western Liaoning is adapted as follows (Table l): the Yixian (excluding the former Jingangshan Beds and Tuhulu Beds), Jiufotang, Shahai / Zhanglaogongtun, Fuxin and Sunjiawan formations in ascending order, and certain irregular or diachronous phenomena of lithostratigraphic nomerclature are recognized among the separate basins in this region, e.g., the current Yixian Formation in the western LingyuafrSanshijiazi and middle Chaoyang- KazuoJianchang basins can only becorrelated with the Yixian volcanic rocks and its base sedimentary horizon in the eastern Fuxin-Yixian-Jinzhou Basin, but the Jiufotang Formation in the western and middle basins is equivalent to the Jingangshan and Tuhulu beds plus the Jiufotang Formation in the eastern basin after the litho- and biostratigraphic principles. The igneous rocks over the Yixian Formation has long been ignored or misplaced, and its reasonable position in the sequence should be between the Jiufotang and Fuxin formations. The Jehol Group can be coincidentally correlated with the corresponding strata in other or basins of northern China on the basis of fossil fishes (Table 2). The loweß part (Yixian and Jiufotang formations) of the Jehol Group and its equivalents in northern China were generally originated in fluviolacustrine environment while the upper part (Shahai and Fuxin formations) deposited in deltaic and lacustroswamp facies. The Lycoptera and Kuyangichthys ichthyofaunas (Table 3) show a Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous aspect, not a few forms are closely related with, •or quite similar to fishes found in the Upper Jurassic of Kazakhstan in central Asia, in the Purbeck-Wea1den of western Europe, and in the Lower Cretaceous of Kitakyushu in Japan. Based on the evidence of the fish faunae, together with the data afforded by other fossil groups, event stratigraphy and radiometric dating etc., the age of the Jehol Group and its corresponding strata in northern China is assigned to late Late Jurassic-mid Early Cretaceous (about Portlandian-Barremian).

FIRST RECORD OF A PRIMITIVE ANTEOSAURID DINOCEPHALIAN FROM THE UPPER PERMIAN OF GANSU, CHINA

Cheng Zhengwu, Ji Shu'an

1996, 34(02):  123-134. 

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In 1981, the senior author and Prof. Li Peixian (Institute of Geology, CAGS) discovered a new primitive anteosaurid dinocephalian skull and numerous other tetrapod fossils from the Upper Permian at Dashankou, Yumen, western Gansu. skull, described below, is not only the first occurrence of the carnivorous dinocephalians, but also the first nearly complete skull of dinocephalian reptiles in China. Moreover, western Gansu, following Russia, Kazakhstan, South Africa and probably United States, becomes another very important locality of occurrence of the Anteosauridae.

TWO NEW CERVID SPECIES FROM THE LATE NEOGENE OF YUSHE BASIN, SHANXI PROVINCE, CHINA

Dong Wei, Ye Jie

1996, 34(02):  135-144. 

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Fossil cervids are a large group with many members and huge quantity in the Late Cenozoic faunae of North China. They are important for understanding of the evolution of paleofaunae, paleoecology and paleoenvironment. The fossil cervids in Yushe Basin were first reported and described by Zdansky (1925, 1927), and then Teilhard de Chardin and Trassaert (1937). In recent years (1985 — 1994), a Sino —American joint research team, led by Drs. Qiu Zhangxiang and R. H. Tedford, re—investigated the Basin and found a lot of new material. Here we present a description of two new species and a preliminary list of the cervids found in Yushe Basin.

NEW MAMMALIAN MATERIALS OF MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE FROM LIJIANG BASIN IN NORTHWEST YUNNAN AND THEIR BIOSTRATIGRAPHY

Cheng Jie, Wang Xinwen

1996, 34(02):  145-155. 

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Lijiang basin, a N—S spreading fault basin located in northwest Yunnan Province, are filled with the fluviolacustrine or fluvial sediments of Early —Middle Pleistocene. The formation was previously called Sheshan Fm.. In 1993, the author Wang subdivided the formation into Early Pleistocene Sheshan Fm. and Middle Pleistocene Dongyuanqiao Fm. based on the unconformity existing between them and lithofacies as well as invertebrate fossils. The fossil materials described in this paper were collected by Wang from the Dongyuanqiao Fm. in 1985—86. Ihe collections are identified as Megantereon sp., Equus sp., Dicerorhinus sp., Certntitus ultimus, cf. Axis rugosus, cf. A. yunnanensis, Rusa yunnanensis, Rusa sp., Muntiacus sp., Bos sp.. The most taxa (identified as species), except cf. Axis ytmnanensis, are common species for Early —Middle Pleistocene. It seems to show that the age of the Dongyuanqiao fauna may be Early or Middle Pleistocene. However, the unconformity between the Sheshan Fm. and Dongyuanqiao is worthly noted and it plays an important part of determining the age of the Dongyuanqiao Fm.. In west Yunnan, the movement Early Pleistocene and Middle Pleistocene was strong and resulted in the unconformity between the Early Pleistocene and Middle Pleistocene, Up to now, no discoveries of the unconformity within the Earty Pleistocene have been made. Equus yunnanensis was found in the Sheshan Fm.. So the unconformity between the Sheshan Fm. and Dongyuanqiao Fm. was formed during this tectonic movernent. Under the consideration of the fossil mamnuls from the Dongyuanqiao, we suggest that the age of the Dongyuanqiao Fm. is of Middle Pleistocene. Because "Yuanmou nun" was found in Yuanmou basin in north Yunnan, the " Yuanmou man" fauna has been focused by geologists and paleontologists. Now are various opinions on its age. The discovery of the Dongyuanqiao fauna probably provides a new approach to determine the age of the "Yuanmou man" fauna. The Dongyuanqiao assemblage is similar to the "Yuanmou man" fauna. Most of the genera or species from the former are shared by the latter (Table l). The " Yuanmou man" fauna, however, has more primitive taxa, such as Eastylocerus longchuanensis, Metacervulus capreolinus and Muntiacus lacustris. Thus the age of the "Yuanmou man" fauna is relatively close to that of the Dongyuanqiao fauna, may be only slightly earlier than that of the latter, and is about late Early Pleistocene.

BIOGEOGRAPHY AND THE AGE OF THE FOSSIL RODENT FAUNA FROM XISHUIDONG LANTIAN, SHAANXI

Li Chuanling, Xue Xiangxu

1996, 34(02):  156-162. 

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Summary can be seen in PDF.