A diversified tetrapod ichnite fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Hekou Group of Gansu Province, China

ABSTRACT

Dinosaur and other tetrapod tracks are already known from multiple (~25) sites in the Early Cretaceous Hekou Group of Gansu Province. In addition to large sites (e.g. Yanguoxia) which have yielded more than 1500 tracks, small sites are important for verifying the distribution of morphotypes (ichnotaxa) over a wider region. Documentation of five newly-reported sites in the Honggu area supports previous studies which indicate a saurischian dominated (theropod and sauropod) ichnofauna with Asianopodus a common component of many assemblages. Ornithopod tracks also occur in several assemblages probably representing two morphotypes (Caririchium and Ornithopodichnus). One site reveals evidence of a small ornithopod progressing quadrupedally.

KEYWORDS:

• Lanzhou-Minhe Basin
• theropod tracks
• sauropod tracks
• ornithopod tracks

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 41790455, 41772008]; and the 111 project [B20011].