The co-occurence of non-lissamphibian temnospondyls and salamanders in the late Jurassic of the southern Junggar Basin (Xinjiang Autonomous Region, NW China)

P.P. Skutschas, T. Martin and Sun Ge

Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, 2009, 313(2): 143–148 · https://doi.org/10.31610/trudyzin/2009.313.2.143

Full text

Abstract

So far, the Jurassic co-occurrence of non-lissamphibian temnospondyls and early temnospondyl lissamphibians was known only for the Middle Jurassic Balabansai Svita in the Fergana Depression, Kyrgyzstan and the Peski Quarry near Moscow, Russia. Here we report the co-occurrence of non-lissamphibian temnospondyls and lissamphibians (salamanders) from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) Qigu Formation of the Liuhuanggou locality in the southern Junggar Basin, China. This represents a considerable temporal and geographical range extension for the nonlissamphibian temnospondyl-early lissamphibian faunal association.

Key words

Caudata, China, Jurassic, Qigu Formation, Temnospondyli

Submitted January 28, 2009 · Accepted March 31, 2009 · Published June 25, 2009

References

Alekseev A.S., Agadjanian A.K., Areshin A.V., Barskov I.S., Gordenko N.V., Efimov M.B., Kabanov P.B., Krasilov V.A., Krasnikov N.M., Lebedev O.A., Rosanova A.A., Sennikov A.G., Smirnova S.B., Sukhanov V.B., Fokin P.A. and Schmidt A.V. 2001. Discovery of a unique locality of Middle Jurassic Fauna and Flora in Moscow Region. Doklady Akademii Nauk, 377: 359–362. [In Russian].

Ashraf A.R., Sun Y.-W., Li J., Sun G. and Mosbrugger V. 2004. Palynostratigraphic analysis of the Huangshanjie, Haojiagou, Badaowan, Sangonghe and Xishanyao Formation (Upper Triassic–Middle Jurassic) in the Southern Junggar Basin (NW China). In: G. Sun, V. Mosbrugger, A.R. Ashraf and Y.-W. Sun (Eds.). Proceedings of Sino-German Cooperation Symposium on Paleontology, Geological Evolution and Environmental Changes of Xinjiang, China. Urumqi, 2004: 41–44.

Averianov A.O., Martin T. and Bakirov A.A. 2005. Pterosaur and dinosaur remains from the Middle Jurassic Balabansai Svita in the Northern Fergana Depression, Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia). Palaeontology, 48: 135–155. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2004.00437.x

Averianov A.O., Martin T., Skutschas P.P., Rezvyi A.O. and Bakirov A.A. 2008. Amphibians from the Middle Jurassic Balabansai Svita in the Fergana Depression, Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia). Palaeontology, 51: 471–485. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00748.x

Bolt J.R. 1977. Dissorophoid relationships and ontogeny, and the origin of the Lissamphibia. Journal of Paleontology, 51: 235–249.

Boy J.A. and Sues H.-D. 2000. Branchiosaurs: larvae, metamorphosis and heterochrony in temnospondyls and seymouriamorphs. In: H. Heatwole and E. Carroll (Eds.). Amphibian Biology, Vol. 4. – Paleontology. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton: 1150–1197.

Carroll R.L. 2007. The Palaeozoic Ancestry of Salamanders, Frogs and Caecilians. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 150: 1–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00246.x

Evans S.E., Lally C., Chure D.C., Elder A. and Maisano J.A. 2005. A Late Jurassic salamander (Amphibia: Caudata) from the Morrison Formation of North America. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 143: 599–616. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00159.x

Evans S.E. and Milner A.R. 1993. Frogs and salamanders from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (Quarry Nine, Como Bluff) of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 13: 24–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.1993.10011485

Evans S.E., Milner A.R. and Mussett F. 1988. The earliest known salamanders (Amphibia, Caudata): a record from the Middle Jurassic of England. Geobios, 21: 539–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-6995(88)80069-X

Evans S.E. and Waldman M. 1996. Small reptiles and amphibians from the Middle Jurassic of Skye, Scotland. In: M. Morales (Ed.). The continental Jurassic. Museum of Northern Arizona, Bulletin, 60: 219–226.

Gambaryan P.P. and Averianov A.O. 2001. Femur of a morganucodontid mammal from the Middle Jurassic of Central Russia. Acta Palaeontologica Polonic, 46: 99–112.

Gao K. and Shubin N.H. 2001. Late Jurassic salamanders from northern China. Nature, 410: 574–577. https://doi.org/10.1038/35069051

Gao K. and Shubin N.H. 2003. Earliest known crown-group salamanders. Nature, 422: 424–428. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01491

Hecht M.K. and Estes R.D. 1960. Fossil amphibians from Quarry Nine. Postilla, 46: 1–19.

Maisch M.W., Matzke A.T., Pfretzschner H.-U., Ye J. and Sun G. 2001. The fossil vertebrate faunas of the Toutunhe and Qigu formations of the Southern Junggar Basin and their biostratigraphical and paleoecological implications. In: G. Sun, V. Mosbrugger, A.R. Ashraf and Y.D. Wang (Eds.). The advanced study of prehistory life and geology of Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China. Proceeding of the Sino-German cooperation symposium on the prehistory life and geology of Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China. Urumqi, 2001: 83–94.

Maisch M.W., Matzke A.T., Pfretzschner H.-U., Sun G., Stöhr H. and Grossmann F. 2003. Fossil vertebrates from the Middle and Upper Jurassic of the southern Junggar Basin (NW China) – results of the Sino-German expeditions 1999–2000. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte, 2003: 297–313. https://doi.org/10.1127/njgpm/2003/2003/297

Maisch M.W., Matzke A.T., Grossmann F., Stöhr H., Pfretzschner H.-U. and Sun G. 2004. The first haramiyid mammal from Asia. Naturwissenschaften, 92: 40–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-004-0584-y

Martin T. and Pfretzschner H.-U. 2003. Functional morphology and evolution of docodont molars (Mammalia) from the Middle Jurassic of Junggar Basin (NW China). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 23 (Supplement to No. 3): 76A.

Martin T., Averianov A.O., Pfretzschner H.-U., Wings O. and Sun G. 2008. A late Jurassic (Oxfordian) vertebrate assemblage from the Southwestern Junggar Basin (Xinjiang Autonomous Region, NW China). Mid-Mesozoic Life and Environments (24–28 June 2008, Cognac, France). Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie Lyon, 164: 62–64.

Milner A.R. 2000. Mesozoic and Tertiary Caudata and Albanerpetontidae. In: H. Heatwole and E. Carroll (Eds.). Amphibian Biology, Vol. 4. – Paleontology. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton: 1412–1444.

Nesov L.A. 1990. A Late Jurassic labyrinthodont (Amphibia, Labyrinthodontia) among other relict groups of vertebrates of northern Fergana. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal, 3: 82–90. [In Russian].

Pfretzschner H.-U., Martin T., Maisch M.W., Matzke A.T. and Sun G. 2005. A new docodont mammal from the Late Jurassic of the Junggar Basin in Northwest China. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 50: 799–808.

Schultze H.P. 1970. Folded teeth and monophyletic origin of tetrapods. American Museum Novitates, 2408: 1–10.

Schultze H.P. 2004. Mesozoic sarcopterygians. In: G. Arratia and A. Tintori (Eds.). Mesozoic Fishes 3 – Systematics, Paleoenvironments and Biodiversity. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München: 463–492.

Shishkin M.A. 1991. Labyrinthodont from the Late Jurassic of Mongolia. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal, 1: 81–95. [In Russian].

Shishkin M.A. 2000. Mesozoic amphibians from Mongolia and the Central Asiatic republics. In: M.J. Benton, M.A. Shishkin, D.M. Unwin and E.N. Kurochkin (Eds.). The age of dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 297–308.

Skutschas P.P. 2006. Mesozoic amphibians from Siberia, Russia. In: P.M. Barrett and S.E. Evans (Eds.). 9th International Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota, Abstracts and Proceedings Volume: 123–126.

Wiechmann M.F. 2000. The albanerpetontids from the Guimarota mine. In: T. Martin and B. Krebs (Eds.). Guimarota: a Jurassic ecosystem. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München: 51–54.

Wings O., Fowler D.W., Maisch M.W., Martin T., Pfretzschner H.-U. and Sun G. 2007. Dinosaur teeth from the Jurassic Qigu and Shishugou formations of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang/China and their palaeobiogeographical implications. In: G. Sun, V. Mosbrugger, Y.W. Sun and A. Bruch (Eds.). Proceedings of the International Symposium for Sino-German Cooperation on Geology and Environmental Changes in Northern China (1–7 September 2007, Urumqi): 5–10.