Jiufotang Formation Explained

Jiufotang Formation
Type:	Geological formation
Age:	Aptian ~
Period:	Aptian
Prilithology:	Mudstone
Otherlithology:	Sandstone
Namedfor:	Jiufotang, Pingfangzi, Liaoning
Namedby:	Ryuji Endo
Year Ts:	1934^[1]
Region:	Liaoning
Country:	China
Coordinates:	41.2°N 119.4°W
Paleocoordinates:	44.4°N 119.5°W
Unitof:	Jehol Group
Subunits:	Shangheshou & Meileyingzi Beds
Underlies:	Fuxin & Shahai Formations
Overlies:	Yixian Formation

The Jiufotang Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in Chaoyang, Liaoning which has yielded fossils of feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and other organisms (see Jehol Biota). It is a member of the Jehol group. The exact age of the Jiufotang has been debated for years, with estimates ranging from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. New uranium-lead dates reveal the formation is deposited in the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous.^[2] Fossils of Microraptor and Jeholornis are from the Jiufotang.^[3]

Fossil content

Choristoderans

Genus	Species	County	Member	Abundance	Notes
Philydrosaurus	P. proseilus				Monjurosuchid
Ikechosaurus	I. pijiagouensis				Simoedosaurid
Liaoxisaurus	L. chaoyangensis				Simoedosaurid
Hyphalosaurus	H. baitaigouensis^[4]				Hyphalosaurid

Fish

Genus	Species	County	Member	Notes	Images
Caeruleum	C. miraculum^[5]	Weichang		A lamprey
	C. gracilis^[6]	Weichang		A lamprey
Jinanichthys	J. longicephalus			An osteoglossomorph
Lycoptera	L. davidi			An osteoglossomorph
Peipiaosteus	P. pani			A fish related to sturgeons
Protopsephurus	P. liui			A paddlefish
Sinamia	S. zdanskyi			An amiiform

Mammaliamorphs

Several mammaliamorph specimens have been found from the Jiufotang, but only a few have been formally described and named.

Genus	Species	County	Member	Material	Notes
Cokotherium	C. jiufotangensis^[7]			Partial skeleton	A eutherian
Fossiomanus	F. sinensis^[8]			A nearly complete skeleton	A tritylodontid cynodont, likely the youngest known non-mammalian synapsid
Liaoconodon	L. hui^[9]			A nearly complete skeleton	A eutriconodont
Unnamed mammal	Unnamed			Partial remains including a foot and fragments of the skull	A mammal similar to Eomaia and Sinodelphys from the Yixian Formation. Found as stomach contents of Microraptor zhaoianus.

Ornithischians

Genus	Species	County	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Chuanqilong^[10]	C. chaoyangensis	Liaoning		A nearly complete skeleton missing only the distal portion of the caudal series.	A basal ankylosaurid, sister taxon to Liaoningosaurus.
Liaoningosaurus^[11]	L. paradoxus
Psittacosaurus	Psittacosaurus meileyingensis		Meileyingzi Bed	"[Four] individuals, [two] complete skulls."^[12]	A ceratopsian.
	Psittacosaurus mongoliensis		Shangheshou and Meileyingzi Beds

Pterosaurs

Genus	Species	County	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Chaoyangopterus	C. zhangi				A chaoyangopterid^[13]
Eoazhdarcho	E. liaoxiensis				A chaoyangopterid
Feilongus	F. youngi		Jianshangou Bed		A boreopterid
Forfexopterus	F. jeholensis				A ctenochasmatid
Gladocephaloideus	G. jingangshanensis		Jingangshan Bed		A ctenochasmatid
Guidraco	G. venator				A pteranodontoid
Hongshanopterus	H. lacustris				An istiodactylid
Huaxiadraco	H. corollatus			Multiple specimens	A tapejarid^[14]
"Huaxiapterus"	"H." benxiensis				A tapejarid; synonymized with Huaxiadraco in 2023
Ikrandraco	I. avatar				A pteranodontoid
Jidapterus	J. edentus				A chaoyangopterid
Liaoningopterus	L. gui				A pteranodontoid
Liaoxipterus	L. brachyognathus				An istiodactylid
Linlongopterus	L. jennyae				A pteranodontoid^[15]
Meilifeilong	M. youhao	Jianchang		A nearly complete skeleton and a partial skull	A chaoyangopterid^[16]
Nemicolopterus	N. crypticus				A tapejaromorph; previously and still occasionally thought to be a tapejarid. Most likely a juvenile, hence small size.
Nurhachius	N. ignaciobritoi				An istiodactylid
Pangupterus	P. liui				A pterodactyloid
Shenzhoupterus	S. chaoyangensis				A chaoyangopterid
	S. sanyainus				A chaoyangopterid^[17]
Sinopterus	S. dongi				A tapejarid
	S. jii				Previously known as Huxiapterus jii
Vesperopterylus	V. lamadongensis				An anurognathid

Saurischians

A large titanosaur is present in the formation.

Enantiornithines

Genus	Species	County	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Alethoalaornis	A. agitornis^[18]				An enantiornithean
Boluochia	B. zhengi			"Partial skull [and] partial postcranium."^[19]	A longipterygid
Brevirostruavis	B. macrohyoideus			"an extremely elongate bony hyoid element (only slightly shorter than the skull), combined with a short cranial rostrum."^[20]	An enantiornithine
Cathayornis	C. aberransis				An enantiornithine
	C. caudatus				Nomen dubium^[21]
	C. yandica			"Partial skeleton."	An enantiornithean
Cuspirostrisornis	C. houi				A possible avisaurid
Dapingfangornis	D. sentisorhinus				An enantiornithean
Eocathayornis	E. walkeri			"Partial skeleton."	An enantiornithean
Gracilornis	G. jiufotangensis				An enantiornithean
Imparavis^[22]	I. attenboroughi	Jianchang		An articulated, nearly complete specimen
Huoshanornis	H. huji				An enantiornithean
Largirostrornis	L. sexdentoris				An enantiornithean
Longchengornis	L. sanyanensis				An enantiornithean
Longipteryx	L. chaoyangensis				A longipterygid
Musivavis	M. amabilis			"A nearly complete and articulated skeleton preserved in a single slab."^[23]	An euenantiornithean
Rapaxavis	R. pani				A longipterygid
Shangyang	S. graciles				An enantiornithean
Sinornis	S. santensis			"Partial skull [and] many nearly complete postcranial skeletons."^[24]	An enantiornithean
Xiangornis	X. shenmi				An enantiornithean
Yuanchuavis	Y. kompsosoura				An pengornithid

Euornithines

Genus	Species	County	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Aberratiodontus	A. wui				Junior synonym of Yanornis martini^[25]
Chaoyangia	C. beishanensis			"Partial skeleton."	A basal euornithean
Jianchangornis	J. microdonta	Jianchang			A basal euornithean
Mengciusornis	M. dentatus				A schizoourid
Parahongshanornis^[26]	P. chaoyangensis				A hongshanornithid
Piscivoravis	P. lii				An ornithuromorph
Schizooura	S. lii	Jianchang			A schizoourid with long, forked tail feathers
Similiyanornis	S. brevipectus				An ornithuromorph
Songlingornis	S. linghensis				An ornithuromorph
Yanornis	Y. martini				An ornithuromorph
Yixianornis	Y. grabaui				An ornithuromorph
Zhongjianornis	Z. yangi				A basal euornithean^[27]

Non-ornithothoracean theropods

Genus	Species	County	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Chongmingia^[28]	C. zhengi			A partial skeleton with preserved soft tissues	A jinguofortisid avialan
Confuciusornis	C. sanctus				A primitive short-tailed avialan (pygostylian). Also present in the Yixian Formation
	C. jianchangensis	Liaoning
Cratonavis^[29]	C. zhui	Jianchang		A complete skeleton with preserved feathers	A jinguofortisid avialan
Dalianraptor	D. cuhe				Nomen dubium, named from a forged artificially assembled specimen.
Jeholornis	J. prima				A jeholornithiform avialan, also present in the Yixian Formation^[30]
	J. palmapenis^[31]				A jeholornithiform avialan
Kompsornis	K. longicaudatus			"Nearly complete specimen".^[32]	A jeholornithiform avialan
Microraptor	M. gui		Shangheshou Bed	Extremely common^[33]	Could be synonym of Microraptor zhaoianus
	M. zhaoianus		Shangheshou Bed	"At least [three] partial semiarticulated postcrania and several skulls."^[34] Feathered integument is also preserved.	A dromaeosaurid.
Neimengornis	N. rectusmim				A jeholornithiform avialan
Omnivoropteryx	O. sinousaorum				An omnivoropterygiform avialan
Sapeornis	S. angustis			"Nearly complete skeleton without skull."^[35]	An omnivoropterygiform, a primitive short-tailed avialan
	S. chaoyangensis
Shenshiornis	Shenshiornis primita^[36]				An omnivoropterygiform avialan
Similicaudipteryx	S. yixianensis				An oviraptorosaur
Sinotyrannus^[37]	S. kazuoensis				A tyrannosauroid
Wulong^[38]	W. bohaiensis	Chaoyang, Liaoning		Complete articulated skeleton (D2933).	A dromaeosaurid

Plants

Genus	Species	County	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Czekanowskia	Czekanowskia rigida^[40]				A member of Czekanowskiales, Dominant
Ginkgo	Ginkgo digitata				A member of Ginkgoales
Elatocladus	Elatocladus pinnatus				Conifer foliage
Pityolepis	Pityolepis ovatus				Conifer cone
Leptostrobus	Leptostrobus sinensis				A member of Czekanowksiales, occasionally misspelled "Leptosthrobus"
Baiera	Baiera valida				A member of Ginkgoales
	Baiera cf. gracilis
Ginkgoites	Ginkgoites trancata				A member of Ginkgoales, dominant
	Gingkgoites trancatus
Podozamites	Podozamites sp.				Conifer foliage
Sphenopteris	Sphenopteris sp.				Seed plant foliage

See also

• Yixian Formation
• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations

Further reading

• Wang . Y . Evans . SE . 2011 . A gravid lizard from the Cretaceous of China and the early history of squamate viviparity . Naturwissenschaften . 98. 9 . 739–743. 10.1007/s00114-011-0820-1 . 21766177 . 2011NW.....98..739W . 8017857 .

Notes and References

1. Book: Endo, R.. 1934. Geology and mineral resources of Manchuria. ja:滿洲の地質及鑛産. Tokyo. Sanseido. ja.
2. Yu . Zhiqiang . Wang . Min . Li . Youjuan . Deng . Chenglong . He . Huaiyu . 2021-12-01 . New geochronological constraints for the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in Jianchang Basin, NE China, and their implications for the late Jehol Biota . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . en . 583 . 110657 . 10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110657 . 2021PPP...58310657Y . 239406222 . 0031-0182. free .
3. He . H.Y. . Wang . X.L. . Zhou . Z.H. . Wang . F. . Boven . A. . Shi . G.H. . Zhu . R.X. . 2004 . Timing of the Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China, and its implications . 10.1029/2004GL019790 . Geophysical Research Letters . 31 . 13. 1709 . 2004GeoRL..3112605H. free .
4. Zhang, L.-J.. Ji, S.-A.. Zhang, H.-C.. 2024. Discovery of the choristodere Hyphalosaurus baitaigouensis from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China and its paleobiogeographic significance. Journal of Palaeogeography. 13 . 3 . 547–562 . 10.1016/j.jop.2024.05.003. free.
5. Huang . Weijia . 2023-09-01 . A new species of fossil lamprey (Petromyzontida: Petromyzontiformes) from Hebei, China . Historical Biology . en . 1–13 . 10.1080/08912963.2023.2252443 . 0891-2963.
6. Huang . Weijia . Ma . Zhiheng . Fu . Lihong . Guo . Shilong . 2024-01-14 . A new species of lamprey from Cretaceous semisaline environment in China . . en . 1–7 . 10.1080/08912963.2024.2303350 . 0891-2963.
7. Wang . Hai-Bing . Hoffmann . Simone . Wang . Dian-Can . Wang . Yuan-Qing . 7 February 2022 . A new mammal from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Biota and implications for eutherian evolution . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B . 377 . 1847 . 10.1098/rstb.2021.0042. free . 35125007 . 8819371 .
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34. "Table 10.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 198.
35. "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 216.
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