• 责任者：Shu Kewen (Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates ; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology ; Chinese Academy of Sciences ; Beijing 100044 ; China) ; Hong Dawei
• 刊名：Vertebrata Palasiatica
• 出版年：2009
• 卷期：47(1)
• 关键词：足迹 ; tracks ; 河北 ; Hebei Province
• 页码：p.35-52
• 图表：5 illus., 1 table, 58 refs.
• 分类号：1100
• issnNo：ISSN1000-3118
• isbnNo：CN11-1905/Q

This paper describes a sample of several theropod footprints from a coarse fluvial deposit at Nanshuangmiao, in the lowermost Houcheng (Tuchengzi) Formation of Hebei Province. The Nanshuangmiao tracks exhibit a tridactyl, pachydactylous morphology corresponding to classic “brontozoid” ichnites (Grallator, Anchisauripus and Eubrontes) from the Lower Jurassic of the United States of America. Although many brontozoid tracks from the roughly equivalent Tuchengzi of Liaoning have been previously assigned to the small ichnogenus Grallator, as G.ssatoi, the Nanshuangmiao tracks are larger (up to 28.8 cm total length)and are probably referable to Anchisauripus. The Nanshuangmiao tracks were most likely produced by small theropods travelling in a group. Of the abundant theropod taxa known from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, the small oviraptorosaur Caudipteryx is the most plausible trackmaker, but this interpretation remains uncertain because of a lack of diagnostic features in the tracks and because of the temporal and geographic gap between the Houcheng of Hebei Province and the Yixian of Liaoning Province.