Abstract:
The Luoping Biota was discovered by the Chengdu Centre of China Geological Survey during geological mapping in 2007 at Luoping County, Yunnan Province, SW China. The intervals containing the fossils belong to the Second Member of the Guanning Formation, Middle Triassic. The Luoping Biota is a Triassic Lagersttten including both vertebrates and invertebrates.The vertebrates comprise marine reptiles and fish fossils. The invertebrates are mainly consist of arthropods, and associated with bivalves, gastropods, ammonites, echinoderms, lingulid brachiopods, conodonts, foraminifers, and plants. A conodont-based dating indicates that this biota lies within the conodont(
Nicoraella kockeli)zone, and belongs to the Pelsonian, Substage of the Anisian Stage, Middle Triassic. The Luoping Biota is preserved within a restricted intra-platform basin. The exceptional preservation of fossils probably resulted from anoxic condition of bottom water and microbial sealing. The Luoping Biota is a window showing the recovery of Triassic marine ecosystem, as well as one of the best localities for Triassic fishes and arthropods fossils. The Luoping Biota provides new information for studying the recovery and evolution of the marine ecosystem after end Permian mass extinction.