Ziliujing_Formation
Ziliujing Formation
Geological formation in China
The Ziliujing Formation is a geological formation in China, It is Early Jurassic in age. It is part of the stratigraphy of the Sichuan Basin. The dinosaur Gongxianosaurus and indeterminate theropod material are known from the Dongyuemiao Member of the formation, as well as dinosaur footprints, Zizhongosaurus and indeterminate prosauropods from the Da'anzhai Member.[1] The basal sauropod Sanpasaurus is known from the Maanshan Member.[2] An unnamed stegosaur and the pliosauroid plesiosaur Sinopliosaurus are also known from this formation but they were found an indeterminate member.[2] An unnamed teleosaurid known from a complete skull has also been found in the formation, pending a formal description.[3] The deposition environment during the Da'anzhai Member in the lower Toarcian is thought to have been that of a giant freshwater lake encompassing the whole of the Sichuan basin, around 3 times larger than Lake Superior, coeval with the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event around 183 Ma.[4]
| Ziliujing Formation | |
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| Stratigraphic range: Toarcian, 183–174 Ma | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Sub-units | Dongyuemiao Member, Maanshan Member, Daanzhai Member |
| Underlies | Xintiangou Formation |
| Overlies | Zhenzhuchong Formation |
| Thickness | Dongyuemiao M. 5 to 11.2 metres (20 to 40 ft), Maanshan M. 131 to 180 metres (430 to 590 ft) Daanzhai M. 18 to 45.2 metres (60 to 150 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Mudstone |
| Other | Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Country |  China |
| Extent | Sichuan Basin |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Ziliujing District |
Color key
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Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Bivalves
| Genus | Species | Location | Section | Material | Notes | Images |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, considered a member of the family Unionidae inside Unionida. Ecological indicator of shallow zone of the big fresh-water lake under a hot climate |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, member of the family Unionidae inside Unionida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, member of the family Unionidae inside Unionida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, member of the family Unionidae inside Unionida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, member of the family Unionidae inside Unionida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, member of the family Unionidae inside Unionida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, member of the family Margaritiferidae inside Unionida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater mussel, member of the family Mytilidae inside Mytiloida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater clam, member of the family Pseudocardiniidae inside Trigoniida. |
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Isolated Shells |
A freshwater clam, member of the family Pseudocardiniidae inside Trigoniida. |
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Phyllopods
| Genus | Species | Location | Section | Material | Notes | Images |
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Palaeolimnadia[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Limnadiidae. The species Palaeolimnadia baitianbaensis represent the main member of its own fauna section, that comprises other 52 species of Phyllopods |
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Pseudolimnadia[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Limnadiidae. |
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Euestheria[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Lioestheriinae. |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Lioestheriinae. |
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Pseudestheria[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Lioestheriinae. |
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Iliestheria[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Triglyptidae. |
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Loxomegaglypta[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Triglyptidae. |
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Loxomicroglypta[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Triglyptidae. |
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Ovjurium[7] |
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A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Ovjuridae. |
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Fish
| Genus | Species | Location | Section | Material | Notes | Images |
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Bony Fish, considered a member of the family Semionotidae. The only major Bony fish recovered in this unit, with resemblance with coeval European species. Unlike that ones, the local Lepidotes lived in Freshwater settings. |
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Sarcopterygii
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Section | Notes | Images |
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Ceratodus szechuanensis |
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A freshwater Lungfish, type member of the Ceratodontidae inside Ceratodontiformes. Lungfish related with late jurassic genera of the same region |
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Plesiosaurs
| Genus | Species | Location | Section | Material | Notes | Images |
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A plesiosaur, considered a member of the family Rhomaleosauridae. An unusual freshwater plesiosaur linked to the large Sichuan Lake system developed locally.[10] |
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A plesiosaur, considered a member of the family Pliosauridae. Likely an invalid genus of freshwater pliosaur |
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Testudinata
| Genus | Species | Location | Section | Material | Notes | Images |
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Turtle remains of uncertain affinity. The only major turtle remains recovered in this unit. This along some undescribed shell fragments from the Lower Jurassic of Sichuan appear to represent the first documented occurrence of the fossil Testudines in China |
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Crocodylomorphs
| Genus | Species | Location | Section | Material | Notes | Images |
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A teleosaur, considered a member of the family Teleosaurinae. An unusual freshwater teleosauroid, previously referred Peipehsuchus teleorhinus.[12] |
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Teleosaurus? sp. |
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A teleosaur, considered a member of the family Teleosaurinae. |
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Dinosaurs
| Genus | Species | Location | Section | Material | Notes | Images |
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Footprints |
Ornithischian footprints which resemble the pes of some neornithischians |
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Footprints |
Sauropod footprints which resemble the pes of some mamenchisaurids. Associated Brontopodus-like trackway with Liujianpus indicates that small and large sauropodomorphs may have co-existed. |
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Cetiosauridae Indet. |
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A eusauropod related to the family Cetiosauridae; likely the oldest referred specimen to this family |
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Indeterminate remains of theropods with resemblance to the genus Elaphrosaurus, initially thought to be a member of Coeluridae.[2] |
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Footprints |
Theropod footprints of uncertain affinity, probably related to theropods such as Dilophosaurus |
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A sauropod that may represent a late-surviving basal member of the group. It has some features of both sauropods and sauropodomorphs, and may be regarded as an intermediate type in the evolution between both groups. |
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Footprints |
Theropod footprints of uncertain affinity. The Grallator relationships of these tracks are solid, as they don't display features of other ichnogenera found in the early Jurassic of the same region. Includes some of the smallest Grallator (and avian theropod) tracks ever described in the literature.[22] |
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Liujianpus[15] |
Liujianpus shunan |
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Footprints |
Sauropodomorph footprints, with features seen in the ichnogenus Otozum, as well as in the sauropod ichnogenus Brontopodus. This ichnogenus dominates all the track assemblages where it is found, with a presence of up the 97%.[23] |
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A sauropodomorph; probably a member of the family Massospondylidae. One of the youngest non-sauropod sauropodomorphs discovered worldwide. It represents its own faunal section. |
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Mamenchisauridae Indet. |
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An eusauropod, related to the family Mamenchisauridae; likely the oldest referred specimen to this family (Unless Tonganosaurus is a mamenchisaur) |
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Indeterminate remains of theropods, very common along Gongxianosaurus fossils. |
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Indeterminate remains of possible ornithischians |
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Parabrontopodus isp. |
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Footprints |
Sauropod footprints. The narrow-gauge trackway pattern resembles Parabrontopodus, well known from the Jurassic, but other features, such as the low heteropody, are different |
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A sauropodomorph; the associated clutch provides strong evidence for the earliest known leathery eggs. |
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A sauropod with uncertain affinities inside the group. Originally interpreted it as the remains of an ornithopod ornithischian.[27] |
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A sauropod, referred to the family Shunosaurinae. Likely not Shunosaurus. It was described in the Zigong Museum Guide |
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Indeterminate remains of possible thyrephorans. "Gen. indet. imperfectus" represents a large possible ornithischian or a sauropod that was originally assigned to Sanpasaurus |
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An invalid genus of sauropod of uncertain affinities. "Yibinosaurus" is from the same locality as Gongxianosaurus, and Gongxianosaurus sp. nov. may be the "Yibinosaurus" material |
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A sauropod, referred to the family Vulcanodontidae or Shunosaurinae. It builds its own faunal section, yet some authors view it as a nomen dubium. |
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| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
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Affinities with Equisetaceae inside Equisetales. Based on analogies with morphologically similar extant Equisetum species, it is interpreted to represent a plant of consistently moist habitats, such as marshes, lake margins or forest understorey, developed normally dense thickets. |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Matoniaceae inside Gleicheniales. |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Dipteridaceae inside Polypodiales. Dictyophyllum is a common Dipteridacean genus of the mid-Mesozoic. Here is indicator of Toarcian age for the sedimnets |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Dipteridaceae inside Polypodiales. |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Schizaeaceae inside Schizaeales. Grass Ferns |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Schizaeaceae inside Schizaeales. Grass Ferns |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Dicksoniaceae inside Cyatheales. Common cosmopolitan Mesozoic Tree fern genus. |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Osmundaceae inside Osmundales. Lower vegetation members |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Williamsoniaceae inside Bennettitales. Insufficient and incomplete material prevents certain allocation to that species. |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with the Bennettitales inside Bennettitopsida. Anomozamites is characterised by slender, (almost) completely and regularly segmented leaves whose leaflets are generally as long as broad or, at maximum, two times as long as broad. This genus is related with more arboreal Bennetitalean flora. Shows coriaceous leaves and is a genus linked more with dry climates. |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Cycadales inside Cycadopsida. |
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Badong-Lichuan |
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Affinities with Karkeniaceae inside Ginkgoales. |
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Badong-Lichuan |
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Affinities with Ginkgoaceae inside Ginkgoales. |
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Ferganiella[31] |
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Yangtze Gorges area |
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Affinities with Krassiloviaceae inside Voltziales. |
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Badong-Lichuan |
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Affinities with Krassiloviaceae inside Voltziales. |
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