Vertebrates from the terrestrial Jurassic of New Zealand

侏罗纪是脊椎动物进化的重要时期，因为许多主要类群在这段时间经历了他们的第一次大辐射。不幸的是，我们目前对这些进化事件的理解主要是基于北半球的化石记录，而来自前冈瓦那大陆的比较数据仍然很少。此外，几乎所有已知的冈瓦那侏罗纪脊椎动物化石都来自前超级大陆(南美洲和非洲)的西部到中部，而东部和南部地区几乎没有已知的遗骸。然而，这些材料最重要的是把从其他事件中获得的结果放在背景中，从而澄清，例如，在冈瓦那西部看到的模式是否反映了区域条件，或者是否可以扩展到整个冈瓦那，而不管区域的气候和环境条件或纬度因素。目前主要被洪水淹没的西兰迪亚大陆在侏罗纪形成了冈瓦那超大陆的东南边缘。因此，这块大陆唯一出现的较大陆地--新西兰群岛--侏罗纪的化石将为脊椎动物在侏罗纪的进化提供重要的新数据。在该项目的第一阶段，我们在短短(两周)的勘探活动中调查了北岛中、晚侏罗世主要是陆相沉积。尽管不幸的是，到目前为止，这场运动没有发现任何脊椎动物遗骸，但在上侏罗统(泰托纪)胡里卫群中至少发现了一个有希望的地点。此外，在新西兰南岛还发现了其他几个侏罗纪大陆单位，这些单位从未被勘探过脊椎动物遗骸，包括纳尔逊附近的德拉姆端群、克赖斯特彻奇以西的克伦特丘陵群和南岛的几个单位，主要是在Murihiku地体的岩石中。因此，这一更新项目的目标是再次对南岛侏罗纪进行为期三周的勘探活动，以检查上述单位，并在胡里韦群当地进行为期两周的挖掘活动，以更好地评估新西兰侏罗纪大陆单位的潜力。

The Jurassic was an important period for the evolution of vertebrates, as many of the principal groups experienced their first major radiation during this time. Unfortunately, our current understanding of these evolutionary events is mainly based on the fossil record of the northern hemisphere, while comparative data from the continents of former Gondwana are still rare. Furthermore, practically all known vertebrate fossils from the Jurassic of Gondwana come from western to central parts of the former supercontinent (South America and Africa), while almost no remains are known from the eastern and southern areas. However, such materials would be of greatest importance to put results gained from other occurrences into context and thus to clarify, for example, if patterns seen in western Gondwana reflect regional conditions or can be extended to all of Gondwana, regardless of the regional climatic and environmental conditions or latitudinal factors.The currently mainly flooded continent of Zealandia formed the south-eastern margin of the supercontinent of Gondwana in the Jurassic. Fossils from the Jurassic of the only larger emerged landmass of this continent, the islands of New Zealand, would thus provide essential new data on the Jurassic evolution of vertebrates. In the first phase of this project we investigated Middle and Late Jurassic mainly continental sediments of the North island in a short (two week) prospection campaign. Although this campaign did, unfortunately, not yield any vertebrate remains so far, at least one promising locality was found in the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) Huriwei Group. Furthermore, several other continental Jurassic units are found in New Zealand on the South Island, which have never been prospected for vertebrate remains, including the Drumduan Group in the vicinity of Nelson, the Clent Hills Group west of Christchurch and several units in Southland, mainly in rocks of the Murihiku Terrane. The objectives of this renewal project are thus another prospection campaign of three weeks into the Jurassic of South Island to inspect the units listed above, and a two-week excavation campaign in the locality in the Huriwei Group, to better evaluate the potential of the Jurassic continental units of New Zealand.