Qiupa Formation

Qiupa Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian
~72–66 Ma
Characteristic red brownish siltstones of the Qiupa Formation
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofTantou Group
UnderliesGaoyugou Formation
OverliesShitaijie Formation
Lithology
PrimaryMudstone, siltstone
OtherSandstone, conglomerate
Location
Coordinates33°54′N 111°48′E / 33.9°N 111.8°E / 33.9; 111.8
Approximate paleocoordinates31°36′N 102°48′E / 31.6°N 102.8°E / 31.6; 102.8
RegionHenan Province
CountryChina
ExtentTantou Basin
Type section
Named forQiupa
Qiupa Formation is located in China
Qiupa Formation
Qiupa Formation (China)
Qiupa Formation is located in Henan
Qiupa Formation
Qiupa Formation (Henan)

The Qiupa Formation (Chinese: 秋扒组; pinyin: Qiūpázǔ) is a Late Cretaceous Maastrichtian geologic formation in Henan Province, central China. It is rich in dinosaur eggs and bones, such as those of carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs. The Qiupa Formation is considered to be Late Maastrichtian in age, about 72 million and 66 million years ago.

Geology

The sedimentation is characterized for the presence of calcareous mudstone interbedded with thin fine conglomerates, brownish red thick-bedded siltstone and parallel and cross laminations. This sedimentation indicates habitats composed by large and shallow meanders with braided river deltas.

Fossil content

The Qiupa Formation has yielded numerous dinosaur fossils, particularly eggs. The remains of various theropods such as troodontids, dromaeosaurids and oviraptorosaurs have been found. In addition, indeterminate remains of sauropods, ornithopods, ankylosaurs, lizards, turtles and a possible avian bone are reported. Therizinosaurids Protoceratopsids, and medium sized sauropods are also known from the Qiupa Formation

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.

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Ornithischians of the Qiupa Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Ankylosauridae indet. Indeterminate Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian A tooth, a well-preserved dorsal vertebra, an incomplete dorsal rib, and an ischium. A ankylosaurid ankylosaur

Theropods

Theropods of the Qiupa Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Luanchuanraptor L. henanensis Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Teeth, a frontal, and fragmented postcrania. A velociraptorine dromaeosaurid
Macroolithus M. yaotunensis Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian One partial clutch containing eight complete eggs and numerous fragments. An elongatoolithid, most likely laid by Yulong mini.
Qiupalong Q. henanensis Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Partial skeleton preserving the pelvis and the right hindlimb. A ornithomimid ornithomimosaur
Qiupanykus Q. zhangi Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Partial skeleton with vertebrae and hindlimbs. A parvicursorine alvarezsaurid
"Tyrannosaurus" T. luanchuanensis Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Five teeth. A tyrannosaurine tyrannosaurid; junior synonymous with Tarbosaurus bataar.
Yulong Y. mini Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Many juvenile specimens and one subadult skeleton. A oviraptorid oviraptorosaur
Yuornis Y. junchangi Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Partial skeleton. A enantiornithinean bird

Squamates

Squamates of the Qiupa Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Funiusaurus F. luanchuanensis Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Several cranial and postcranial remains. A polyglyphanodontian lizard
Tianyusaurus T. zhengi Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Skull and shoulder girdle. A polyglyphanodontian lizard
Zhongyuanxi Z. jiai Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Partial skull. A paleoanguimorphan anguimorph

Mammals

Mammals of the Qiupa Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Lotheridium L. mengi Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Nearly complete skull with jaws. A deltatheroidan metatherian
Yubaatar Y. zhongyuanensis Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian "Virtually complete crania and fragmented poscrania". A taeniolabidoid multituberculate

Oofossils

Oofossils of the Qiupa Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Elongatoolithidae sp. Indeterminate Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian 145 egg shells Oviraptorid eggs
Macroolithus M. yaotunensis Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China Maastrichtian Egg clutch Oviraptorid eggs

References

  1. ↑ Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources of Henan Province (1989). Regional Geology of Henan Province. Beijing: Geological Publishing House. pp. 1−772.
  2. 1 2 3 Jiang, X.-J.; Liu, Y.-Q.; Ji, S.-A.; Zhang, X.-L.; Xu, L.; Jia, S.-H.; Lü, J.-C.; Yuan, C.-X.; Li, M. (2011). "Dinosaur-bearing strata and K/T boundary in the Luanchuan-Tantou Basin of western Henan Province, China". Science China Earth Sciences. 54 (1149): 1149–1155. Bibcode:2011ScChD..54.1149J. doi:10.1007/s11430-011-4186-1.
  3. 1 2 3 Lü, J. C.; Xu, L.; Chang, H. L.; Jia, S. H.; Zhang, J. M.; Gao, D. S.; Zhang, Y. Y.; Zhang, C. J.; Ding, F. (2018). "A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Luanchuan, Henan Province, central China". China Geology. 1 (1): 28–35. Bibcode:2018CGeo....1...28L. doi:10.31035/cg2018005 (inactive 9 September 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2025 (link)
  4. ↑ Kobayashi, Y.; Lü, J.; Lee, Y.-N.; Xu, L.; Zhang, X. (2008). "A new basal ornithomimid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous in Henan Province of China" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (supp. 3): 101A. doi:10.1080/02724634.2008.10010459.
  5. 1 2 "河南栾川地区晚白垩世脊椎动物群研究进展". 地质通报. 40 (7): 1178–1188. 15 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Jia, S.-H.; Lü, J.-C.; Xu, L.; Hu, W.-Y.; Li, J.-H.; Zhang, J.-M. (2010). "Discovery and significance of ankylosaur specimens from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation in Luanchuan, Henan, China". Geological Bulletin of China. 29 (4): 483–487.
  7. ↑ Lü, J.-C.; Xu, L.; Zhang, X.-L.; Ji, Q.; Jia, S.-H.; Hu, W.-Y.; Zhang, J.-M.; Wu, Y.-H. (2007). "New dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Luanchuan area, western Henan, China". Geological Bulletin of China. 26 (7): 777–786. S2CID 130054772.
  8. ↑ Zhu, Xufeng; Chang, Fei; Li, Yu; Zhang, Xuhang; Gao, Diansong; Wang, Qiang; Qiu, Rui; Wang, Xiaolin; Liu, Di; Jia, Songhai; Jia, Guanghui; Zhang, Jianhua; Xu, Li (2025). "The first discovery of non-avian dinosaur egg clutch (Macroolithus yaotunensis, Elongatoolithidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Tantou Basin". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 63 (2): 159–172. doi:10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.250212.
  9. ↑ Xu, L.; Kobayashi, Y.; Lü, J.-C.; Lee, Y. N.; Liu, Y.; Tanaka, K.; Zhang, X.; Jia, S.; Zhang, J. (2011). "A new ornithomimid dinosaur with North American affinities from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation in Henan Province of China". Cretaceous Research. 32 (2): 213–222. Bibcode:2011CrRes..32..213X. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2010.12.004.
  10. ↑ Dong, Zhiming (1979). "Dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of South China". Mesozoic and Cenozoic red beds of South China (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press. pp. 342–350. doi:10.5281/zenodo.162178.
  11. ↑ Lü, J.-C.; Currie, P. J.; Xu, L.; Zhang, X.; Pu, H.; Jia, S. (2013). "Chicken-sized oviraptorid dinosaurs from central China and their ontogenetic implications". Naturwissenschaften. 100 (2): 165–175. Bibcode:2013NW....100..165L. doi:10.1007/s00114-012-1007-0. PMID 23314810.
  12. ↑ Wei, X.; Kundrát, M.; Xu, L.; Ma, W.; Wu, Y.; Chang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhou, X. (2022). "A new subadult specimen of oviraptorid Yulong mini (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Luanchuan, central China". Cretaceous Research. 138 (105261) 105261. Bibcode:2022CrRes.13805261W. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105261. S2CID 248977151.
  13. ↑ Xu, Li; Buffetaut, Eric; O'Connor, Jingmai; Zhang, Xingliao; Jia, Songhai; Zhang, Jiming; Chang, Huali; Tong, Haiyan (2021). "A new, remarkably preserved, enantiornithine bird from the Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan (central China) and convergent evolution between enantiornithines and modern birds". Geological Magazine. 158 (11): 2087–2094. Bibcode:2021GeoM..158.2087X. doi:10.1017/S0016756821000807. ISSN 0016-7568.
  14. ↑ Xu, L.; Lü, J.-C.; Jia, S.; Zhang, J.; Pu, H.; Zhang, X. (2014). "A New Lizard (Lepidosauria: Squamata) from the Upper Cretaceous of Henan, China". Acta Geologica Sinica. 88 (4): 1041–1050. Bibcode:2014AcGlS..88.1041X. doi:10.1111/1755-6724.12271.
  15. ↑ Dong, Li-Ping; Li, Jie; Chang, Fei; Han, Ye; Liu, Di; Wang, Yuan (2026). "Morphology of Funiusaurus luanchuanensis (Squamata, Polyglyphanodontia) based on new material". Vertebrata PalAsiatica (in press): 1–24. doi:10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.260814.
  16. ↑ Lü, J.-C.; Ji, S.; Dong, Z.; Wu, X.-C. (2008). "An Upper Cretaceous lizard with a lower temporal arcade". Naturwissenschaften. 95 (7): 663–669. Bibcode:2008NW.....95..663L. doi:10.1007/s00114-008-0364-1. PMID 18338150.
  17. ↑ Xu, L.; Dong, L.; Gao, D.; Li, Y.; Wu, Y.; Chang, F.; Li, J.; Evans, S. (2025). "A new anguimorph lizard from the Upper Cretaceous of Henan Province, China". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 23 (1). 2470790. Bibcode:2025JSPal..2370790X. doi:10.1080/14772019.2025.2470790.
  18. ↑ Bi, S.; Jin, X.; Li, S.; Du, T. (2015). "A new Cretaceous Metatherian mammal from Henan, China". PeerJ. 3 e896. doi:10.7717/peerj.896. PMC 4400878. PMID 25893149.
  19. ↑ Xu, L.; Zhang, X.; Pu, H.; Jia, S.; Zhang, J.; Lü, J.-C.; Meng, J. (2015). "Largest known Mesozoic multituberculate from Eurasia and implications for multituberculate evolution and biology". Scientific Reports. 5 (1495) 14950. Bibcode:2015NatSR...514950X. doi:10.1038/srep14950. PMC 4615031. PMID 26492455.
  20. ↑ Tanaka, K.; Lü, J.-C.; Kobayashi, Y.; Zelenitsky, D. K.; Xu, L.; Jia, S.; Qin, S.; Tang, M. (2011). "Description and Phylogenetic Position of Dinosaur Eggshells from the Luanchuan Area of Western Henan Province, China". Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition). 85 (1): 66–74. Bibcode:2011AcGlS..85...66K. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2011.00379.x.
  21. ↑ Zhu, X.-F.; Chang, F.; Li, Y.; Zhang, X.-H.; Gao, D.-S.; Wang, Q.; Qiu, R.; Wang, X.-L.; Liu, D.; Jia, S-H.; Jia, G.-H.; Zhang, J.-H.; Xu, L. (2025). "The first discovery of non-avian dinosaur egg clutch (Macroolithus yaotunensis, Elongatoolithidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Tantou Basin". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 63 (2): 159–172. doi:10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.250212.