Luanchuan Fauna [English / Chinese]

About this book

Language: Bilingual in English and Chinese

The vertebrate fauna from the Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation in Tantou Basin of Luanchuan area, China, is located in the middle of the Late Cretaceous vertebrate fauna of northern and southern East Asia, which was named "Luanchuan Fauna" by Lü et al. (2008) at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP). During the last decade, more vertebrate fossils from Luanchuan have been reported and studied, which has greatly enriched our knowledge about its diversity. The vertebrate assemblage of Luanchuan fauna is highly similar to those from the Ganzhou Basin of southern China and the Nemegt Basin of southern Mongolia, which are all dominated by theropod dinosaurs combined with other vertebrate animals. The Luanchuan fauna plays an important role in understanding palaeoecology, diversity, dinosaur evolution, the influence of environmental changes on dinosaur migration, and the extinction of the Late Cretaceous dinosaur fauna of East Asia.

Dr Lü Junchang took the initiative to publish this book and drafted the outline. Unfortunately, he passed away on October 9th, 2018, so the draft was left unfinished. In 2020, his students Wei Xuefang, Shen Caizhi, Zhou Xuanyu, and Ma Waisum decided to complete the book based on the outline and publish it to commemorate their teacher, passing down Dr Lü's research spirit. Ms Xu Li, the curator of Henan Natural History Museum, strongly supported and decided to finish the book together, paying respects to his great contributions to paleontological research in Henan Province.

Contents

Chapter 1 Brief Introduction to Luanchun Fauna
1.1 Location
1.2 Research History

Chapter 2 Geological Background of Luanchuan Area
2.1 Tectonic Setting
2.2 Vertebrate Fossils Distribution
2.3 The Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation
      2.3.1 Deposition
      2.3.2 Era

Chapter 3 Significant Fossils of Luanchuan Fauna
3.1 Dinosaurs
      3.1.1 Tyrannosaurus luanchuanensis
      3.1.2 Luanchuanraptor henanensis
      3.1.3 Qiupalong henanensis
      3.1.4 Yulong mini
      3.1.5 Qiupanykus zhangi
      3.1.6 Ankylosauria
3.2 Lizards
      3.2.1 Tianyusaurus zhengi
      3.2.2 Funiusaurus luanchuanensis
3.3 Mammals
      3.3.1 Yubaatar zhongyuanensis
      3.3.2 Lotheridium mengi
3.4 Aves
3.5 Dinosaur eggs/eggshells
3.6 Ichnofossils
      3.6.1 Palaeophycus tubularis
      3.6.2 Beaconites autarcticus
      3.6.3 Planolites ichnosp.1
      3.6.4 Planolites ichnosp.2
      3.6.5 Scoyenia gracilis
      3.6.6 Skolithos ichnosp.
      3.6.7 Rhizoliths
      3.6.8 Comment

Chapter 4 Late Cretaceous Palaeoenvironment of Luanchuan Rea
4.1 Sedimentary Provenances
4.2 Sedimentary Environment of Qiupa Formation
4.3 Evolution of the Lower Cretaceous Palaeoenvironment of Tantou Basin
4.4 Paleoclimate of the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation

Epilogue
References
Appx. Record of Prof. Lü Junchang's Fieldwork in Luanchuan

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