Introducing the Mazongshan Dinosaur Fauna

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Mazongshan Dinosaur Fauna (MDF) includes all dinosaurs recovered from the late Early Cretaceous Xiagou and Zhonggou formations in the Mazongshan area of Gansu Province in northwestern China. Currently, 11 distinctive dinosaur genera have been recovered in this fauna, representing three theropods, two sauropods, four hadrosauroids, and two neoceratopsians. Four features can be recognized for the MDF: (1) the presence of large herbivorous theropods, such as the therizinosaur Suzhousaurus and ornithomimosaur Beishanlong; (2) the presence of diverse basal hadrosauroids, represented by at least four genera; (3) an abundance of basal neoceratopsians, represented by numerous individuals of Auroraceratops; and (4) an apparent lack of psittacosaurids. The MDF is unique and different from any other known dinosaur faunas, including that from the Jehol Biota.Citation for this article: You, H.-L., E. M. Morschhauser, D.-Q. Li, and P. Dodson. 2019. Introducing the Mazongshan Dinosaur Fauna; pp. 1–11 in Hailu You, Peter Dodson, and Eric Morschhauser (eds.), Auroraceratops rugosus (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia) from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern Gansu Province, China. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 18. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 38(Supplement). DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1396995.AbbreviationsCAGS IGInstitute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, ChinaCCDPChina-Canada Dinosaur ProjectIVPPInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaMDFMazongshan Dinosaur FaunaSADPSino-American Mazongshan Dinosaur ProjectSJDPSino-Japanese Silk Road Dinosaur ExpeditionSSESino-Swedish Expedition