The formation encompasses two members. The first member is primarily calcareous mudstone and dolomite , indicative of a coastal environment. The second member is a thicker marine sequence of dark micritic limestone with some dolomite. Two distinct fossil assemblages are found in the second member. The older Luoping biota preserves abundant arthropods along with fossils from other invertebrates and vertebrates , which are rare but well-preserved. The slightly younger Panxian biota has a more diverse and common assortment of marine reptiles such as sauropterygians .[ 1]
A tuff bed in the Luoping biota has been dated to 244.5 ± 2.2 Ma via U-Pb SHRIMP dating. The Luoping biota as a whole was deposited over a period of 340 ± 71 kyr. This estimate is justified by cyclostratigraphic evidence, as indicated by fluctuations of terrestrial proxy metals.[ 2]
Among others, the following fossils were reported from the formation:
Nothosauroidea
Genus
Species
Member/Biota
Note
Image
Sanchiaosaurus
S. sungi
Lower Member
A small possible basal nothosauroid known from a single partial specimen.
Lariosaurus
L. hongguoensis
Upper Member; Panxian biota
Example
L. sp. indet.
Upper Member; Luoping biota
Example
Nothosaurus
N. yangjuanensis
Upper Member; Panxian biota
N. rostellatus
Upper member; Panxian biota
Example
N. zhangi
Upper Member; Luoping biota
Example
N. luopingensis
Upper Member, Luoping biota
Example
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Benton, Michael J.; Zhang, Qiyue; Hu, Shixue; Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Wen, Wen; Liu, Jun; Huang, Jinyuan; Zhou, Changyong; Xie, Tao; Tong, Jinnan; Choo, Brian (2013-10-01). "Exceptional vertebrate biotas from the Triassic of China, and the expansion of marine ecosystems after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction" . Earth-Science Reviews . 125 : 199–243. Bibcode :2013ESRv..125..199B . doi :10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.05.014 . ISSN 0012-8252 .
^ Ma, Zhixin; Wu, Huaichun; Hu, Shixue; Fang, Qiang; Liu, Xiting; Zhou, Changyong; Wen, Wen; Zhang, Qiyue; Huang, Jinyuan; Min, Xiao (2023-09-26). "Temporal duration and preservation mechanism of the Middle Triassic Luoping biota from South China constrained by geochronology and cyclostratigraphy" . Global and Planetary Change . 229 : 104254. Bibcode :2023GPC...22904254M . doi :10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104254 . ISSN 0921-8181 . S2CID 263214751 .
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^ Maisch, Michael W. (2010). "Phylogeny, systematics, and origin of the Ichthyosauria - the state od the art". Palaeodiversity . 3 : 141-214.
^ a b Jiang, Da-Yong; Lars, Schmitz; Motani, Ryosuke; Hao, Wie-Cheng; Sun, Yuan-Lin (2007). "The Mixosaurid Ichthyosaur Phalarodon cf. P. fraasi from the Middle Triassic of Guizhou Province, China" . Journal of Paleontology . 81 (3): 602-605. Bibcode :2007JPal...81..602J . doi :10.1666/05092.1 . JSTOR 4498810 . S2CID 54761545 .
^ a b Liu, Jun; Motani, Ryosuke; Jiang, Da-Yong; Hu, Shi-Xue; Aitchison, Jonathan C.; Rieppel, Olivier; Benton, Michael J.; Zhang, Qi-Yue; Zhou, Chang-Yong (2013). "The first specimen of the Middle Triassic Phalarodon atavus (Ichthyosauria: Mixosauridae) from South China, showing postcranial anatomy and peri-Tethyan distribution" . Palaeontology . 56 (4): 849-866. Bibcode :2013Palgy..56..849L . doi :10.1111/pala.12021 .
^ Jiang, Da-Yong; Motani, Ryosuke; Hao, Wei-Cheng; Schmitz, Lars; Rieppel, Olivier; Sun, Yuan-Lin; Sun, Zuo-Yu (2008). "New primitive ichthyosaurian (Reptilia, Diapsida) from the Middle Triassic of Panxian, Guizhou, southwestern China and its position in the Triassic biotic recovery" . Progress in Natural Science . 18 (10): 1315-1319. doi :10.1016/j.pnsc.2008.01.039 .
^ a b Cheng, Long; Chen, Xiao-Hong; Shang, Qing-Hua; Wu, Xiao-Chun (2014). "A new marine reptile from the Triassic of China, with a highly specialized feeding adaptation" . Naturwissenschaften . 101 (3): 251–259. Bibcode :2014NW....101..251C . doi :10.1007/s00114-014-1148-4 . S2CID 7770583 .
^ Chun, Li; Rieppel, Olivier; Long, Cheng; Fraser, Nicholas C. (2016). "The earliest herbivorous marine reptile and its remarkable jaw apparatus" . Science Advances . 2 (5): e1501659. Bibcode :2016SciA....2E1659C . doi :10.1126/sciadv.1501659 . PMC 4928886 . PMID 27386529 .
^ Wolniewicz, Andrzej S.; Shen, Yuefeng; Li, Qiang; Sun, Yuanyuan; Qiao, Yu; Chen, Yajie; Hu, Yi-Wei; Liu, Jun (2023). "An armoured marine reptile from the Early Triassic of South China and its phylogenetic and evolutionary implications" . eLife . 12 . doi :10.7554/eLife.83163 . PMC 10499374 .
^ a b c Jiang, Da-Yong; Motani, Ryosuke; Hao, Wei-Cheng; Rieppel, Olivier; Sun, Yuan-Lin; Schmitz, Lars; Sun, Zu-Yu (2008). "First Record of Placodontoidea (Reptilia, Sauropterygia, Placodontia) from the Eastern Tethys" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 28 (3): 904-908. doi :10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[904:FROPRS]2.0.CO;2 . JSTOR 20491013 . S2CID 9784064 .
^ a b Cheng, Long; Chen, Xiahong; Zeng, Xiongwei; Cai, Yongjian (2012). "A new eosauropterygian (Diapsida: Sauropterygia) from the Middle Triassic of Luoping, Yunnan Province" . Journal of Earth Science . 23 : 33–40.
^ a b Li, Chun; Jiang, Da-Yong; Cheng, Long; Wu, Xiao-Chun; Rieppel, Olivier (2014). "A new species of Largocephalosaurus (Diapsida: Saurosphargidae), with implications for the morphological diversity and phylogeny of the group" . Geological Magazine . 151 (1): 100-120. doi :10.1017/S001675681300023X .
^ a b Li, Chun; Rieppel, Olivier; Wu, Xiao-Chun; Zhao, Li-Jun; Wang, Li-Ting (2011). "A new Triassic marine reptile from southwestern China" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 31 (2): 303-312. doi :10.1080/02724634.2011.550368 .
^ Lu, Yu-Ting; Liu, Jun (2023-10-02). "A new tanystropheid (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha) from the Middle Triassic of SW China and the biogeographical origin of Tanystropheidae". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 21 (1). Bibcode :2023JSPal..2150778L . doi :10.1080/14772019.2023.2250778 . ISSN 1477-2019 . S2CID 263634664 .
^ Wang, W.; Lei, H.; Li, C. (2023). "A small-sized dinocephalosaurid archosauromorph from the Middle Triassic of Yunnan, southwestern China" . Vertebrata PalAsiatica . 62 (1): 13. doi :10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.231013 .
Category:Geologic formations of China
Category:Triassic System of Asia
Category:Triassic China
Category:Limestone formations
Category:Dolomite formations
Category:Mudstone formations
Category:Lagoonal deposits
Category:Deep marine deposits
Category:Open marine deposits
Category:Shallow marine deposits