The Lower Lufeng Series is a Lower Jurassic sedimentary rock formation found in Yunnan

Yunnan

Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

, China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

. It has two units: the lower Dull Purplish Beds are of Hettangian

Hettangian

The Hettangian is the earliest age or lowest stage of the Jurassic period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between 199.6 ± 0.6 Ma and 196.5 ± 1 Ma . The Hettangian follows the Rhaetian and is followed by the Sinemurian.In Europe stratigraphy the Hettangian is a part of the time span in...

 age, and Dark Red Beds are of Sinemurian

Sinemurian

In the geologic timescale, the Sinemurian is an age or stage in the Early or Lower Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 196.5 ± 2 Ma and 189.6 ± 1.5 Ma...

 age. It is known for its fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

s of early dinosaur

Dinosaur

Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...

s. The Dull Purplish Beds have yielded the possible therizinosaur

Therizinosaur

Therizinosaurs are theropod dinosaurs belonging to the clade Therizinosauria. Therizinosaur fossils have been found in Early through Late Cretaceous deposits in Mongolia, the People's Republic of China and Western North America...

 Eshanosaurus

Eshanosaurus

Eshanosaurus is a possible genus of therizinosaurian dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period. It is known only from a partial lower jawbone. The fossil was found in China...

, the possible theropod Lukousaurus

Lukousaurus

Lukousaurus is a taxon based on most of a small skull’s snout, displaying distinctive lachrymal horns, found in the Early Jurassic-age Lower Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China and was described by Chung Chien Young in 1948....

, and the "prosauropods" "Gyposaurus" sinensis

Gyposaurus

Gyposaurus is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur from the early Jurassic of South Africa and China...

, Lufengosaurus

Lufengosaurus

Lufengosaurus is a genus of prosauropod dinosaur which lived during the Early Jurassic period in what is now southwestern China.-Discovery and species:...

, Jingshanosaurus

Jingshanosaurus

Jingshanosaurus is a genus of prosauropod dinosaurs from the Early Jurassic. Its fossils, a nearly complete skeleton including the skull, were found near the town of Jingshan , Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, China, from which the name derives. First described in 1995, the type species is J....

, and Yunnanosaurus

Yunnanosaurus

Yunnanosaurus is a genus of prosauropod dinosaur from the Early to Middle Jurassic Period, a position in time that makes it one of the last prosauropods. It is closely related to Lufengosaurus...

. Dinosaurs discovered in the Dark Red Beds include the theropod "Dilophosaurus" sinensis

Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic Period, about 193 million years ago. The first specimens were described in 1954, but it was not until over a decade later that the genus received its current name...

, the "prosauropods" "Gyposaurus", Lufengosaurus, and Yunnanosaurus, indeterminate remains of sauropods, and the early armored dinosaurs

Thyreophora

The Thyreophora were a subgroup of the ornithischian dinosaurs...

 Bienosaurus

Bienosaurus

Bienosaurus was a dinosaur from the Early Jurassic. The genus was an armoured dinosaur from the Lower Lufeng Formation in Yunnan Province in China.-Discovery and species:...

 and Tatisaurus

Tatisaurus

Tatisaurus is a genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Early Jurassic from the Lower Lufeng Formation in Yunnan Province in China. Little is known as the remains are fragmentary.-Discovery and species:...

.

Crurotarsans

Crurotarsans reported from the Lower Lufeng Series
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes
Dianchungosaurus Dianchungosaurus Dianchungosaurus is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorph from the Early Jurassic of China. It was previously considered a dinosaur, but it was recently reclassified as a mesoeucrocodylian by Paul Barrett and Xing Xu . It is probably the same animal as the informally named...	D. lufengensis	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds		Formerly considered an ornithopod dinosaur.

Ornithischians

Indeterminate ornithopod remains Yunnan. Dark Red Beds.

Ornithischians reported from the Lower Lufeng Series
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes
Bienosaurus Bienosaurus Bienosaurus was a dinosaur from the Early Jurassic. The genus was an armoured dinosaur from the Lower Lufeng Formation in Yunnan Province in China.-Discovery and species:...	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 Tatisaurus Tatisaurus is a genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Early Jurassic from the Lower Lufeng Formation in Yunnan Province in China. Little is known as the remains are fragmentary.-Discovery and species:...	T. oehleri	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds	"Isolated dentary."

Sauropodomorphs

Sauropodomorphs reported from the Lower Lufeng Series
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Chuxiongosaurus Chuxiongosaurus Chuxiongosaurus is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur which lived during the Early Jurassic Period. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Lower Lufeng Formation, Yunnan Province, southern China...	C. lufengensis	Yunnan		"Skull
Gyposaurus Gyposaurus Gyposaurus is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur from the early Jurassic of South Africa and China...	G. sinensis	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish Beds	"[Two] skeletons, [one] with partial skull, [two] partial skeletons, [three] skull fragments, adult."
Fulengia Fulengia Fulengia is the name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Early Jurassic. It was a prosauropod or other basal sauropodomorph. Its fossils were found in China....	F. youngi	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds	"Skull."
Jingshanosaurus Jingshanosaurus Jingshanosaurus is a genus of prosauropod dinosaurs from the Early Jurassic. Its fossils, a nearly complete skeleton including the skull, were found near the town of Jingshan , Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, China, from which the name derives. First described in 1995, the type species is J....	J. xinwaensis	Yunnan	Dull Purplish Beds	"Complete skeleton with skull, adult."
Kunmingosaurus Kunmingosaurus "Kunmingosaurus" is the name given to an as yet not formally described genus of dinosaur. It was a primitive sauropod which lived during the Early Jurassic. Its fossils were found in Yunnan Province, China in 1954, but without a formal description, it is considered a nomen nudum.The intended "type...	K. wusdingensis	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds
Lufengosaurus Lufengosaurus Lufengosaurus is a genus of prosauropod dinosaur which lived during the Early Jurassic period in what is now southwestern China.-Discovery and species:...	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
Yunnanosaurus Yunnanosaurus Yunnanosaurus is a genus of prosauropod dinosaur from the Early to Middle Jurassic Period, a position in time that makes it one of the last prosauropods. It is closely related to Lufengosaurus...	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

Theropods reported from the Lower Lufeng Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Dilophosaurus Dilophosaurus Dilophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic Period, about 193 million years ago. The first specimens were described in 1954, but it was not until over a decade later that the genus received its current name...	D. sinensis	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds
Eshanosaurus Eshanosaurus Eshanosaurus is a possible genus of therizinosaurian dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period. It is known only from a partial lower jawbone. The fossil was found in China...	E. deguchiianus	Yunnan	Dull Purplish Beds	"Dentary."	Possible therizinosaur Therizinosaur Therizinosaurs are theropod dinosaurs belonging to the clade Therizinosauria. Therizinosaur fossils have been found in Early through Late Cretaceous deposits in Mongolia, the People's Republic of China and Western North America... .
Lukousaurus Lukousaurus Lukousaurus is a taxon based on most of a small skull’s snout, displaying distinctive lachrymal horns, found in the Early Jurassic-age Lower Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China and was described by Chung Chien Young in 1948....	L. yini	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish Beds
Sinosaurus Sinosaurus Sinosaurus was a tetanuran theropod dinosaur which lived during the Late Triassic or Early Jurassic Period. Its fossils were found in the Lufeng Formation, in Yunnan Province, China. It was a bipedal carnivore...	S. triassicus	Yunnan	Dark Red Beds Dull Purplish Beds		Actually indeterminate theropod remains.