Baicaigou, Toutai (Cretaceous to of China)

Also known as Jonzhou, Baitaigou, Baicai Gou

Where: Liaoning, China (41.1° N, 121.1° E: paleocoordinates 43.9° N, 123.1° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Dakangpu Member (Yixian Formation), Late/Upper Barremian to Late/Upper Barremian (130.0 - 122.5 Ma)

• middle part of formation, originally assigned to Yixian Fm., comparable to Dawangzhangzi Bed. "middle part" of formation.

•The Yixian Formation can be subdivided into five units, in ascending order, Lujiatun unit, Lower Lava, Jianshangou unit, Upper Lava, Dawangzhangzi unit, Jingangshan unit, and Huanghuashan unit. Most of the Jehol fossils from the Yixian Formation are preserved in four beds, that is, the Lujiatun bed (recalculated age is 124.0 ± 1.0/1.3 Ma, He et al., 2006), the Jianshangou bed (125.43 ± 0.50/0.88 Ma, Swisher et al., 1999), the Dawangzhangzi bed, and Jinggangshan bed (~122 Ma, Smith et al., 1995).U-Pb dating suggests that the Huangbanjigou section ranges from 124.9 ± 1.7 Ma to 122.8 ± 1.6 Ma (Yang et al., 2007). Chang et al. (2017) obtained Ar/Ar ages of 125.8 ± 1.0 Ma and 126.0 ± 0.8 Ma from the Lujiatun Unit, the lowest part of the Yixian Formation, below the lacustrine shales.

•He et al. (2004) reported a 40Ar/39Ar age of 120.3 ± 0.7 Ma for a tuff layer in the lower part of the Jiufotang Formation, and Chang et al. (2009) obtained a 40Ar/39Ar age of 122.1 ± 0.3 Ma for a tuff layer from the lowermost part of the Jiufotang Formation. Yu et al. (2021) dated an ash bed just above the Yixian/Jiufotang formation boundary to 122.0 ± 0.9 Ma and three tuff beds from the Xiaotaizi section to 118.9 ± 0.8 Ma, 118.8 ± 0.6 Ma, and 118.6 ± 1.1 Ma. These ages suggest that the Jiufotang Formation in Jianchang Basin was deposited at ca. 122.0–118.9 Ma.

•Olierrok et al. (2019) used a selection of U-Pb and 40Ar-39Ar geochronology to place the Barremian–Aptian boundary (the base of the Chron M0r) between 123.8 and 121.8 Ma. The GTS 2020 uses an age of 121.4 Ma for the base of the Aptian, and multiproxy orbital tuning gives an age of 120.2 Ma for the Barremian-Aptian boundary (Leandro et al., 2022). Therefore, the Yixian Formation should be entirely Late Barremian, with the Jiufotang Formation deposited in the Early Aptian (or latest Barremian at its base).

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine; tuffaceous shale and mudstone

• from a "tuffaceous" horizon: lithified based on matrix surrounding figured specimen (pterosaur)

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: adpression

Collected in 1999-2004; reposited in the IVPP

Collection methods: surface (in situ), mechanical,

• pterosaur was "collected in 1999 by a local farmer and then directly acquired by the NGMC"

Primary reference: X. Wang and X. Xu. 2001. A new iguanodontid (Jinzhousaurus yangi gen. et sp. nov.) from the Yixian Formaton of western Liaoning, China. Chinese Science Bulletin 46(19):1669-1672 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 67611: authorized by Matthew Carrano, entered by Matthew Carrano on 27.11.2006, edited by Roger Benson

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Actinopteri
 Teleostei -
Jinanichthys sp.7 Ma and Sun 1988
Reptilia
 Theropoda - Troodontidae
Jianianhualong tengi n. gen. n. sp.6
Jianianhualong tengi n. gen. n. sp.6 Xu et al. 2017 maniraptoran
DLXH 1218
 Theropoda - Dromaeosauridae
"Sinornithosaurus haoiana n. sp." = Sinornithosaurus millenii5
"Sinornithosaurus haoiana n. sp." = Sinornithosaurus millenii5 Xu et al. 1999 maniraptoran
D2140
Aves
  -
Shenzhouraptor sinensis n. gen. n. sp.4 Ji et al. 2002 bird
LPM 193
Jixiangornis orientalis7 Ji et al. 2002 bird
 Pygostylia -
"Didactylornis jii n. gen. n. sp." = Sapeornis chaoyangensis7
"Didactylornis jii n. gen. n. sp." = Sapeornis chaoyangensis7 Zhou and Zhang 2002 bird
CDPC-02-08-001
Reptilia
 Theropoda -
Enantiornithes indet. Walker 1981 avialan
 Ornithischia - Iguanodontidae
Jinzhousaurus yangi n. gen. n. sp.
Jinzhousaurus yangi n. gen. n. sp. Wang and Xu 2001 iguanodontid
IVPP V12691
 Pterosauria -
Pterodactyloidea indet. Plieninger 1901 pterosaur
Istiodactylus sinensis n. sp.1 Andres and Ji 2006 pterosaur
NGMC 99-07-011, relatively complete skeleton
 Choristodera -
Monjurosuchus splendens3 Endo 1940 choristodere
BMNHC V073
Hyphalosaurus baitaigouensis n. sp.2 Ji et al. 2004 choristodere
CAGS-IG-03-7-02 (holotype partial skeleton), PKUP V1056-1058, BMNHC V014- 053, LPMC R-00052, LPMC R-00065-00066, and many unnumbered specimens in BMNHC, IVPP, LPMC and PKUP collections; Additional remains discussed by Hou et al. (2010) comprise LPM-R169 (egg, containing an embryo) and LPM-R168 (egg associated with a partially hatched neonate); Ji et al. (2010) suggested the presence of viviparity in an additional specimen (CAGS-IG-06131)
Hyphalosaurus baitaigouensis7 Ji et al. 2004 choristodere
Osteichthyes
 Halecomorphi - Sinamiidae
Sinamia sp.7 ray-finned fish