China and the lost worlds of the dinosaurian era

Abstract

Dinosaurian diversity per unit area increased by a factor of about six through Jurassic‐Cretaceous time. The Mesozoic fragmentation of Pangea and its partial re‐assembly into Laurasia also increased dinosaurian diversity, while simultaneously increasing dinosaurian endemism. The Mesozoic landmasses with the highest probability of derived endemics and undescribed taxa include, in increasing order of importance, South America, Australia‐Antarctica and Africa‐Arabia, all during Late Cretaceous time. At least 400 genera of dinosaurs were present on all continents combined near the end of the Mesozoic Era. A total of at least 3,400 genera of dinosaurs have been present on Earth at one time or another through Mesozoic time. Only eight percent of this number are presently known from taxonomically diagnostic materials.

Key words:

• Dinosauria
• Mesozoic
• Continents
• Biogeography
• Diversity
• Endemism