Lufeng Formation

The Lufeng Formation (formerly Lower Lufeng Series) is a Lower Jurassic sedimentary rock formation found in Yunnan, China. It has two units: the lower Dull Purplish Beds/Shawan Member are of Hettangian age, and Dark Red Beds/Zhangjia'ao Member are of Sinemurian age. It is known for its fossils of early dinosaurs. The Dull Purplish Beds have yielded the possible therizinosaur Eshanosaurus, the possible theropod Lukousaurus, and the "prosauropods" "Gyposaurus" sinensis, Lufengosaurus, Jingshanosaurus, and Yunnanosaurus. Dinosaurs discovered in the Dark Red Beds include the theropod Sinosaurus triassicus, the "prosauropods" "Gyposaurus", Lufengosaurus, and Yunnanosaurus, indeterminate remains of sauropods, and the early armored dinosaurs Bienosaurus and Tatisaurus.

Paleofauna

Rhynchocephalians reported from the Lufeng Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes
Clevosaurus	Indeterminate	Yunnan		Partial skulls and jaws.	The three named species do not display any autapomorphic characters and should be considered indeterminate within the genus. Only record of rhynchocephalians from Asia.

Crurotarsans reported from the Lufeng Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes
Dianchungosaurus	D. lufengensis	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds		Formerly considered an ornithopod dinosaur.
Dianosuchus	D. changchiawaensis	Lufeng, Yunnan	Dark Red Beds
Microchampsa	M. scutata	Dahuangtian locality	Lower Red Beds	iIncomplete skeleton consisting of cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae as well as ribs and three rows of dorsal osteoderms
Phyllodontosuchus	P. lufengensis	Dawa, Yunnan	Dark Red Beds	BVP568-L12, a crushed skull	A potential non-carnivorous crocodrylomorph
Platyognathus	P. hsui	Lufeng, Yunnan	Zhangjiawa Member	IVPP V8266, rostral portion of a skull missing the dorsal bones and with articulated incomplete mandible; CVEB 21301, a nearly complete skull with articulated mandible, articulated with the anterior 17 vertebrae and associated dorsal osteoderms; part of the right scapulocoracoid; the left humerus; the right femur and proximal tibia and fibula	The oldest Gobiosuchoidean
Strigosuchus	S. licinus	Lufeng, Yunnan	Zhangjia'ao Member	FMNH CUP 2082

Indeterminate ornithopod remains Yunnan. Dark Red Beds.

Ornithischians reported from the Lufeng Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes
Bienosaurus	B. lufengensis	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds	A right "[d]entary with teeth," with additional cranial fragments such as a partial frontal. These specimens are catalogued as IVPP V 9612. The dentary preserves 11 teeth or roots with two additional empty alveoli.
Tatisaurus	T. oehleri	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds	"Isolated dentary."


Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon		Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.
Taxon	Reclassified taxon	Taxon falsely reported as present	Dubious taxon or junior synonym	Ichnotaxon	Ootaxon	Morphotaxon

Sauropodomorphs reported from the Lufeng Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Chuxiongosaurus	C. lufengensis	Yunnan		"Skull"		Jingshanosaurus Lishulong Lufengosaurus Xingxiulong Yunnanosaurus
Gyposaurus	G. sinensis	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish Beds	"[Two] skeletons, [one] with partial skull, [two] partial skeletons, [three] skull fragments, adult."
Fulengia	F. youngi	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds	"Skull."
Jingshanosaurus	J. xinwaensis	Yunnan	Dull Purplish Beds	"Complete skeleton with skull, adult."
"Kunmingosaurus"	"K. wusdingensis"	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds		nomen nudum
Lishulong	L. wangi	Yunnan	Shawan Member	Skull and cervical vertebrae 2–10
Lufengosaurus	L. huenei	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish		"(including Gyposaurus sinensis, L. magnus)"
L. magnus	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish
Tawasaurus	T. minor	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds
Xingxiulong	X. chengi	Yunnan
X. yueorum	Yunnan	Zhangjiaao Member	LF2015-NO01, an articulated postcranial skeleton
Yizhousaurus	Y. sunae	Yunnan	Zhangjiaao Member	Partial skeleton with skull
Yunnanosaurus	Y. huangi	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish	"More than [twenty] partial to complete skeletons, [two] skulls, juvenile to adult."
Y. robustus	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish

Theropods reported from the Lower Lufeng Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Eshanosaurus	E. deguchiianus	Yunnan	Dull Purplish Beds	"Dentary."	Possible therizinosaur	Sinosaurus triassicus
Lukousaurus	L. yini	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish Beds	Holotype skull, tooth Three bone fragments	Possible crocodylomorph
Sinosaurus	S. triassicus	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish Beds	Maxillary fragments, teeth, and a lower jaw fragment Incomplete skull and other post-cranial fragments	Dilophosaurus sinensisspecimenNow included in Sinosaurus
Panguraptor	P. lufengensis	Yunnan	Dull Purplish Beds	Partial skeleton	A coelophysid

Cynodonts reported from the Lufeng Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Bienotherium	B. yuannanese B. magnum				A tritylodontid	Skull of Morganucodon oehleri
Dianzhongia	D. longirostrata				A tritylodontid
Hadrocodium	H. wui	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds	Skull	One of the oldest and smallest mammaliaforms known. Indicates a correlation between the separation of the middle ear bones from the mandible and the expanded brain vault in early mammals.
Lufengia	L. delicata				A tritylodontid
Morganucodon	M. oehleri M. heikuopengensis		Zhangjiawa Member (M. heikuopengensis) Shawan Member (M. oehleri)		A morganucodontan
Sinoconodon	S. rigneyi		Zhangjiawa Member		A mammaliamorph closely related to Mammaliaformes
Yunnanodon	Y. brevirostre	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds		A tritylodontid