Abstract
Protopteryx, a monotypic fossil bird discovered from the Sichakou basin in Fengning, Hebei, is the most primitive enantiornithine currently known. The bird-bearing strata do not contain the index fossils of the Yixian Formation in western Liaoning; the fish and bird fossils have more primitive features than the related forms found in the Yixian Formation, and the conchostracans are those usually distributed in the Dabeigou and Dadianzi formations in northern Hebei. Besides, the Protopteryx-bearing strata underlie the deposits bearing the index fossils of the Yixian Formation in the neighboring basin. Thus, it could be confirmed that the horizon of Protopteryx should be lower than the Yixian Formation, and is approximately equivalent to the Dadianzi Formation in northern Hebei. This is the lowest horizon of the known fossil birds in China and Mesozoic enantiornithine birds in the world. Accompanying Protopteryx, there are other birds, acipenseriform fishes, salamanders, and mammals, which compose the Peipiaosteus fengningensis-Protopteryx fengningensis assemblage. This new assemblage traces the vertebrate evolution history of the Jehol Biota back to 130.7 Ma before. It is suggested that the demarcation of the Jehol Biota should be based on the large-scale tectonic-sedimentary cycles, and Peipiaosteus, instead of Lycoptera, could be taken as the vertebrate representative of the Jehol Biota.
Similar content being viewed by others
Bibliography
Chang M M, Chen P J, Wang Y, et al. The Jehol Biota, the Emergence of Feathered Dinosaurs, Beaked Birds and Flowering Plants. Shanghai: Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers, 2003
Zhou Z H, Barrett P M, Hilton J. An exceptionally preserved Lower Cretaceous ecosystem. Nature, 2003, 421: 807–814
Ji Q, Chen W, Wang W L, et al. Mesozoic Jehol Biota of Western Liaoning, China (in Chinese). Beijing: Geological Publishing House, 2004
Zhou Z H. Vertebrate radiations of the Jehol Biota and their environmental background. Chin Sci Bull, 2004, 49(8): 754–756
Wang W L Zhang H, Zhang L J, et al. Standard Sections of Tuchengzi Stage and Yixian Stage and Their Stratigraphy, Palaeontology and Tectonic-Volcanic Actions (in Chinese). Beijing: Geological Publishing House, 2004
Zhou Z H. Evolutionary radiation of the Jehol Biota: chronological and ecological perspectives. Geol J, 2006, 41: 377–393
Wang S E. The study of Late Mesozoic in northern Hebei. In: Professional Papers of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, 28 (in Chinese). Beijing: Geological Publishing House, 1986. 161–180
Wang S E. Origin, evolution and mechanism of the Jehol Fauna. Acta Geol Sin, 1990, 64(4): 350–360
Tian S G, Liu Y Q, Li P X, et al.. Sequence stratigraphy of Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary strata in Luanping, Northern Hebei, China. Sci China Ser D-Earth Sci, 2004, 47(7): 607–617
Li P X, Liu Y Q, Tian S G. Advances in the study of the Jurassic-Cretaceous lithostratigraphy in the Luanping basin, northern Hebei. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese), 2004, 23(8): 757–765
Tian S G, Pang Q Q, Niu S W, et al. Terrestrial Jurassic—Cretaceous boundary stratotype candidate in Luanping basin, northern Hebei. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese), 2004, 23(12): 1170–1179
Pang Q Q, Tian S G, Li P X, et al. Ostracod biostratigraphy of the Dabeigou and Dadianzi formations and Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in the Luanping basin, northern Hebei, China. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese), 2006, 25(3): 348–356
Jin F, Tian Y P, Yang Y S, et al. An early fossil sturgeon (Acipenseriformes, Peipiaosteidae) from Fengning of Hebei, China. Vert PalAsiat (in Chinese), 1995, 33(1): 1–16
Jin F. Middle and Late Mesozoic acipenseriforms from northern Hebei and western Liaoning, China. Palaeoworld (in Chinese), 1999, 11: 188–280
Hou L H. Mesozoic Birds of China. Nantou: Feng-Huang-Ku Bird Park of Taiwan (in Chinese), 1997
Xu G L, Yang Y S, Deng S Y. First discovery of Mesozoic bird fossils in Hebei Province and its significance. Reg Geol Chin (in Chinese), 1999, 18(4): 444–448
Zhang F C, Zhou Z H. A primitive enantiornithine bird and the origin of feathers. Science, 2000, 290: 1955–1959
Bi Z W, Yang Y S. New recognition of the Late Mesozoic in the Senjitu-Sichakou area, northern Hebei. Reg Geol Chin (in Chinese), 1992, (3): 211–218
Zhang F C, Ericson G P, Zhou Z H. Description of a new enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Hebei, northern China. Can J Earth Sci, 2004, 41: 1097–1107
Ji Q, Ji S A, Lü J C, et al. First avialian bird from China. Geol Bull Chin (in Chinese), 2005, 24(3): 197–210
Xu X, Norell M A. Non-avian dinosaur fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of western Liaoning, China. Geol J, 2006, 41: 419–437
Luo Z X, Chen P J, Li G, et al. A new eutriconodont mammal and evolutionary development in early mammals. Nature, 2007, 446: 288–293
Jin F, Zhang J Y, Zhou Z H. Late Mesozoic fish fauna from western Liaoning, China. Vert PalAsiat (in Chinese), 1995, 33(3): 169–193
He H Y, Wang X L, Jin F, et al. The 40Ar/39Ar dating of the early Jehol Biota from Fengning, Hebei Province, northern China. Geochem Geophys Geosyst, 2006, 7, Q04001, doi:10.1029/2005GC00108
Chen P J, Wang Q F, Zhang H C, et al. Jianshangou Bed of the Yixian Formation in West Liaoning, China. Sci China Ser D-Earth Sci, 2005, 48(3): 298–312
Ke D A, Guo J H. Problem about the stratigraphic classification of the Lower Cretaceous in northern Hebei. Reg Geol Chin (in Chinese), 1997, 16(3): 315–320
Ren D, Yin J C, Huang B Y. Preliminary research on Late Mesozoic insect communities and ecostratigraphy of Fengning, Hebei Province. Geol Sci Tech Inf (in Chinese), 1999, 18(1): 39–44
Jin F. New advances in the Late Mesozoic stratigraphic research of western Liaoning, China. Vert PalAsiat (in Chinese), 1996, 34(2): 102–122
Jin F. Review on the 40Ar-39Ar dates of the Jehol Group by Smith et al. Vert PalAsiat (in Chinese), 2001, 39(2): 151–156
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40121202 and 40472017), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-142), and the “973” Project from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2006CB806400)
About this article
Cite this article
Jin, F., Zhang, F., Li, Z. et al. On the horizon of Protopteryx and the early vertebrate fossil assemblages of the Jehol Biota. Chin. Sci. Bull. 53, 2820–2827 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-008-0209-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-008-0209-5