Dr. Lida Xing (born 1982)

My research interests are in the archosaur track, and the relationships among track and skeleton records in Asia and North America. Since 2013, I pay more attention to the Mid-Cretaceous vertebrate amber (avian/non-avian theropod) from Burma, and with emphasis on morphology, paleoecology and evolution.

I received my master's and doctoral degrees in palaeontology from University of Alberta (2010-2012, Supervisor: Dr. Philip J Currie, Advisor: Dr. Xing XU), and China University of Geosciences, Beijing (2012-2016, Supervisor: Dr. Jianping ZHANG and Dr. Xiaoqiao WAN, Co–Supervisor: Dr. Daqing LI; Advisor: Dr. Martin G. Lockley, Dr. Xing XU). I have been selected as the 2020 recipient of the James Lee Wilson Award, from the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM). The award is given in recognition of “Excellence in Sedimentary Geology by a Young Scientist.”

These research were funded in part by the National Geographic Society's Expeditions Council (2016-2019), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (2018-)

Member of Advisory Board of Cretaceous Research, Elsevier (2016-)
Member of Advisory Board of Journal of Palaeogeography, Elsevier (2017-)
Member of Advisory Board of Palaeoentomology (2019-)
Member of Advisory Board of Biosis: Biological Systems, (2019-2023)
Member of Editor-in-Chief of Biosis: Biological Systems, (2023-)
Member of Advisory Board of Fossils (2023-)

Senior consultant from The Amber Branch of Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China (ABGAC) (2021-);
Visiting Fellow from Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum, Nan'an, China (2018-);
Honorary Professor from University of Taipei, Taiwan, China (2017-);
Deputy Director from Tengchong Amber Research Center, Tengchong Culture and Tourism Bureau, Yunnan, China (2016-);
Visiting Fellow from Dexu Institute of Palaeontology, Chaozhou, China (2013-);
Scientific Advisor to the Tumbler Ridge Aspiring Geopark, British Columbia, Canada (2012-2016);
Visiting Researcher from Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre, British Columbia, Canada (2012-).
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Representative Publications	ALL
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Jia, C.K., Klein, H., Niu, K.C., Zhang, L.J., Oi, L.Q., Chou, C.Y., Romilio, A., Wang, D.H., Zhang, Y., Persons, W.S.IV., Wang, M.Y. 2021. Lower cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology. PeerJ 9: e11476. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11476
Xing, L.D., Lockley, M.G*., Tang, Y.Z., Romilio, A., Xu, T., Li, X.W., Tang, Y., Li, Y.Z. 2018. Tetrapod track assemblages from Lower Cretaceous desert facies in the Ordos Basin, Shaanxi Province, China, and their implications for Mesozoic paleoecology. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 507: 1–14. DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.05.016
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Li, D.L., Klein, H., Persons, W.S IV, Ye, Y., Zhang, J.P., Ran, H., 2017. Late Cretaceous Ornithopod-dominated, theropod, and pterosaur track assemblages from the Nanxiong Basin, China: new discoveries, ichnotaxonomy, and palaeoecology. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 466: 303–313. DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.035
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G*., 2016. Early Cretaceous dinosaur and other tetrapod tracks of southwestern China. Science Bulletin 61(13): 1044–1051. DOI: 10.1007/s11434-016-1093-z
Xing, L.D., McKellar, R.C., Xu, X., Li, G., Bai, M., Persons, W.S.IV., Miyashita, T., Benton, M.J., Zhang, J.P., Wolfe, A.P., Yi, Q.R., Tseng, K.W., Ran, H., Currie, P.J., 2016. A feathered dinosaur tail with primitive plumage trapped in mid-Cretaceous amber. Current Biology 26, 3352–3360. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.008
Xing, L.D*., McKellar, R.C*., Wang, M*., Bai, M*., O’Connor, J.K., Benton, M.J., Zhang, J.P., Wang, Y., Tseng, K.W., Lockley, M.G., Li, G., Zhang, W.W., Xu, X*. 2016. Mummified precocial bird wings in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Nature Communications 7:12089. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12089
Luque, J*., Xing, L.D*., Briggs, D.E.G., Clark, E.G., Duque, A., Hui, J., Mai, H., McKellar, R.C. 2021. Crab in amber reveals an early colonization of non-marine environments during the Cretaceous. Science Advances 7:eabj5689  DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5689
Lockley, M.G., Xing, L.D. 2021. A review of the non-avian theropod track record and the implications for the Ontogenetic Niche Shift model. Earth-Science Reviews 220: 103715. DOI: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103715
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Klein, H., Persons, W.S.IV., Peng, G.Z., Ye, Y., Wang, M.Y. 2021. Largest dinosaur tracksite in China (Cretaceous, Zhaojue area, Sichuan Province): on the verge of destruction. Geoscience Frontiers 12: 101181. DOI: 10.1016/j.gsf.2021.101181
Xing, L.D., Liu, Y*., McKellar, R.C*., Luque, J., Li, G., Wang, Y.P., Yi, Q.R., Sun, R., Wang, E.Z., Audo, D*. 2021. The first shrimp preserved in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber: systematics, palaeoecology, and taphonomy. Science Bulletin 66(17): 1723-1726. DOI:10.1016/j.scib.2021.05.008
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Persons, W.S.IV., Klein, H., Romilio, A., Wang, D.H., Wang, M.Y. 2021. Stegosaur track assemblage from Xinjiang, China, featuring the smallest known stegosaur record. PALAIOS 36(2): 68-76. DOI: 10.2110/palo.2020.036
Xing, L.D., Lockley, M.G.*, Tang, Y.Z., Klein, H., Persons, W.S.IV., Wang, M.Y., Li, X.W., Wu, H. 2021. Unusual dinosaur trackway preservation as clues to paleo-landscape and behavior from the Lower Cretaceous Luohe Formation, Shaanxi Province, China. Geoscience Frontiers 12(2): 737-745. DOI:10.1016/j.gsf.2020.09.014
Xing, L.D., Qiu, L.*. 2020. Zircon U–Pb age constraints on the Hkamti amber biota in northern Myanmar. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 558: 109960. DOI:10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109960
Xing, L.D., Klein, H*., Lockley, M.G., Wu, X.C., Benton, M.J., Zeng, R., Romilio, A. 2020. Footprints of marine reptiles from the Middle Triassic (Anisian-Ladinian) Guanling Formation of Guizhou Province, southwestern China: the earliest evidence of synchronous swimming. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 558: 109943. DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109943
Xing, L.D., Miyashita, T*., Wang, D.H., Niu, K.C., Currie, P.J. 2020. A new compsognathid theropod dinosaur from the oldest assemblage of the Jehol Biota in the Lower Cretaceous Huajiying Formation, northeastern China. Cretaceous Research 107: 104285. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104285
Xing, L.D., Cockx, P*., McKellar, R.C. 2020. Disassociated feathers in Burmese amber shed new light on mid-Cretaceous dinosaurs and avifauna. Gondwana Research. 82: 241–253.
Neubauer,T.A*., Xing, L.D*., Jochum, A. 2019. Bristly business: first record of a snail with periostracal hairs preserved in Burmese amber. iScience DOI:10.1016/j.isci.2019.09.034
Xing, L.D*., Niu, K.C., Lockley, M.G., Klein, H., Romilio, A., Persons, W.S.IV., Brusatte, S.L. 2019. A probable tyrannosaurid track from the Upper Cretaceous of Southern China. Science Bulletin 64(16): 1136–1139 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2019.06.013
Xing, L.D*., O'Connor, J.K*., Chiappe, L.M., McKellar, R.C., Carroll, N., Bai, M., Lei, F.M. 2019. A new enantiornithine (Aves: Ornithothoraces) with unusual pedal proportions found in amber. Current Biology 29(14): 2396-2401. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.077
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Tang, D.J., Klein, H., Peng, G.Z., Ye, Y., Hao, B.Q. 2019. Early Jurassic basal sauropodomorpha dominated tracks from Guizhou, China: morphology, ethology, and paleoenvironment. Geoscience Frontiers 10: 229–240. DOI: 10.1016/j.gsf.2018.06.001
Xing, L.D., Ross, A.J*., Stilwell, J.D., Fang, J., McKellar, R.C. 2019. Juvenile snail with preserved soft tissue in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar suggests a cyclophoroidean (Gastropoda) ancestry. Cretaceous Research 93: 114–119. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2018.09.013
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Klein, H., Zeng, R., Cai, S.F., Luo, X.C., Li, C. 2018. Theropod assemblages and a new ichnotaxon Gigandipus chiappei ichnosp. nov. from the Jiaguan Formation, Lower Cretaceous of Guizhou Province, China. Geoscience Frontiers 9: 1745–1754 DOI: 10.1016/j.gsf.2017.12.012
Xing, L.D., Caldwell, M.W*., Chen, R., Nydam, R.L., Palci, A., Simões, T.R., McKellar, R.C., Lee, M.S.Y., Liu, Y., Shi, H.L., Wang, K., Bai, M. 2018. A Mid-Cretaceous Embryonic-To-Neonate Snake in Amber from Myanmar. Science Advances 4, eaat5042. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat5042
Xing, L.D*., Stanley, E., Bai, M., Blackburn, D.C*. 2018. The earliest direct evidence of frogs in wet tropical forests from Cretaceous Burmese amber. Scientific Reports 8:8770. DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-26848-w
Xing, L.D., O'Connor, J.K., McKellar, R.C*., Chiappe, L.M., Bai, M., Tseng, K.W., Zhang,J., Yang, H.D ., Fang, J., Li, G*. 2018. A flattened enantiornithine in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: morphology and preservation. Science Bulletin 63: 235–243. DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2018.01.019
Xing, L.D*., Sames, B*., Xi, D.P. McKellar, R.C., Bai, M., Wan, X.Q. 2018. A gigantic marine ostracod (Crustacea: Myodocopa) trapped in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Scientific Reports 8: 1365. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19877-y
Xing, L.D*., Marty, D., You, H.L., Li, D.Q., Klein, H., Knaust, D., Zhang, J.P., McCrea, R.T., Persons, W.S.IV., 2017. Complex in–substrate dinosaur (Sauropoda, Ornithopoda) foot pathways revealed by deep natural track casts from the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou and Zhonggou formations, Gansu Province, China. Ichnos, 24(3): 163–178. DOI: 10.1080/10420940.2016.1244054
Xing, L.D., O'Connor, J.K*., McKellar, R.C., Chiappe, L.M., Tseng, K.W., Li, G., Bai, M*. 2017. A mid-Cretaceous enantiornithine (Aves) hatchling preserved in Burmese amber with unusual plumage. Gondwana Research 49: 264–277. DOI: 10.1016/j.gr.2017.06.001
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Klein, H., Falkingham, P.L., Kim, J.Y., McCrea, R.T., Zhang, J.P., Persons, W.S.IV., Wang, T., Wang, Z.Z., 2016. First Early Jurassic small ornithischian tracks from Yunnan Province, southwestern China. PALAIOS 31 (11): 516–524. DOI: 10.2110/palo.2015.074
Xing, L.D*., Li, D.Q., Falkingham, P.L., Lockley, M.G., Benton, M.J., Klein, H., Zhang, J.P., Ran, H., Persons, W.S.IV., Dai, H., 2016. Digit-only sauropod pes trackways from China – evidence of swimming or a preservational phenomenon? Scientific Reports 6, 21138. DOI: 10.1038/srep21138
Xing, L.D*., Marty, D., Wang, K.B., Lockley, M.G., Chen, S.Q., Xu, X., Liu, Y.Q., Kuang, H.W., Zhang, J.P., Ran, H., Persons, W.S.IV., 2015. An unusual sauropod turning trackway from the Early Cretaceous of Shandong Province, China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 437: 74–84.
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Bonnan, M.F., Marty, D., Klein, H., Liu, Y.Q., Zhang, J.P., Kuang, H.W., Burns, M.E., Li, N., 2015. Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous trackways of small-sized sauropods from China: New discoveries, ichnotaxonomy and sauropod manus morphology. Cretaceous Research 56: 470–481.
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Zhang, J.P., Klein, H., Marty, D., Peng, G.Z., Ye, Y., McCrea, R.T., Persons, W.S.IV., Xu T., 2015. The longest theropod trackway from East Asia, and a diverse sauropod–, theropod–, and ornithopod–track assemblage from the Lower Cretaceous Jiaguan Formation, southwest China. Cretaceous Research 56: 345–362.
Xing, L.D., Buckley, L.G*., McCrea, R.T., Lockley, M.G., Zhang, J.P., Piñuela, L., Klein, H., Wang, F.P., 2015. Reanalysis of Wupus agilis (Early Cretaceous) of Chongqing, China as a large avian trace: differentiating between large bird and small non-avian theropod tracks. PLOS ONE 10(5): e0124039
Xu, X*., Zheng, X.T*., Sullivan, C., Wang, X.L., Xing, L.D., Wang, Y., Zhang, X.M., O’Connor, J.K., Zhang, F.C., Pan, Y.H., 2015. A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings. Nature 521, 70–73
Lockley, M.G*., Xing, L.D., 2015. Flattened fossil footprints: implications for paleobiology. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 426: 85–94.
Lockley, M.G*., Li, R.H., Matsukawa, M., Xing, L.D., Li, J.J., Liu, M.W., Xu, X., 2015. Tracking the yellow dragons: implications of China’s largest dinosaur tracksite (Cretaceous of the Zhucheng area, Shandong Province, China). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 423: 62–79
Xing, L.D*., Paulina Carabajal, A*., Currie, P.J., Xu, X., Zhang, J.P., Wang, T., Burns, M.E., Dong, Z.M., 2014. Braincase anatomy of the basal theropod Sinosaurus from the Early Jurassic of China. Acta Geologica Sinica (English edition) 88(6): 1653–1664.
Lockley, M.G*., Xing, L.D., Kim, J.Y., Matsukawa, M., 2014. Tracking Early Cretaceous Dinosaurs in China: a new database for comparison with ichnofaunal data from Korea, the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 113, 770–789
Lockley, M.G*., Xing, L.D., Lockwood, J.A.F., Pond, S., 2014. A review of large Cretaceous ornithopod tracks, with special reference to their ichnotaxonomy. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.113, 721–736
Xing, L.D., Belvedere, M*., Buckley, L., Falk, A., Lockley, M.G., Klein, H., Abbassi, N., Zhang, X.Q., Tang, Y.G., 2014. First Record of Bird Tracks from Paleogene of China (Guangdong Province). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 414: 415–425
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Zhang, J.P., Klein, H., Persons, W.S.IV., Dai, H., 2014. Diverse sauropod–, theropod–, and ornithopod–track assemblages and a new ichnotaxon Siamopodus xui ichnosp. nov. from the Feitianshan Formation, Lower Cretaceous of Sichuan Province, southwest China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 414: 79–97.
Xing, L.D., Klein, H*., Lockley, M.G., Kan, Z.Z., Zhang, J.P., Peng, G.Z., Ye, Y., 2014. First chirothere and possible grallatorid footprint assemblage from the Upper Triassic Baoding Formation of Sichuan Province, southwestern China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 412: 169–176.
Xing, L.D*., Avanzini, M., Lockley, M.G., Miyashita, T., Klein, H., Zhang, J.P., He, Q., Qi, L.Q., Divay, J.D., Jia, C.K., 2014. Early Cretaceous turtle tracks and skeletons from the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China. PALAIOS, 29, 137–144
Xing, L.D*., Peng, G.Z., Ye, Y., Lockley, M.G., Klein, H., Persons, W.S.IV., Zhang, J.P., Shu, C.K, Hao, B.Q., 2014. Sauropod and small theropod tracks from the Lower Jurassic Ziliujing Formation of Zigong City, Sichuan, China with an overview of Triassic–Jurassic dinosaur fossils and footprints of the Sichuan Basin. Ichnos. 21, 119–130
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Zhang, J.P., Klein, H., Kim, J.Y., Persons, W.S.IV., Matsukawa, M., Yu, X.Q., Li, J.J., Chen, G.B., Hu, Y., 2014. Upper Cretaceous dinosaur track assemblages and a new theropod ichnotaxon from Anhui Province, eastern China. Cretaceous Research. 49: 190–204
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Piñuela L, Zhang, J.P., Klein, H., Li, D.Q., Wang, F.P., 2013. Pterosaur trackways from the Lower Cretaceous Jiaguan Formation (Barremian–Albian) of Qijiang, Southwest China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 392: 177–185.
Xing, L.D*., Lockley, M.G., Marty, D., Klein, H., Buckley, L.G., McCrea, R.T., Zhang, J.P., Gierliński, G.D., Divay, J.D., Wu, Q.Z., 2013. Diverse dinosaur ichnoassemblages from the Lower Cretaceous Dasheng Group in the Yishu fault zone, Shandong Province, China. Cretaceous Research 45, 114–134.
Xing, L.D*., Roberts, E.M., Harris, J.D., Gingras, M.K., Ran, H., Zhang, J.P., Xu, X., Burns, M.E., Dong, Z.M., 2013. Novel insect traces on a dinosaur skeleton from the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation of China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 388: 58–68
Xing, L.D., Persons, W.S.IV*, Bell, P.R., Xu, X., Zhang, J.P., Miyashita, T., Wang, F.P., Currie, P.J., 2013. Piscivory in the feathered dinosaur Microraptor. Evolution. 67 (8): 2441–2445.
Lockley, M.G*., Li, J.J., Li, R.H., Matsukawa, M., Harris, J.D., Xing, L.D., 2013. A review of the tetrapod track record in China, with special reference to type ichnospecies: implications for ichnotaxonomy and paleobiology. Acta Geologica Sinica (English edition) 87(1): 1–20
Xing, L.D*., Li, D.Q., Harris, J.D., Bell, P.R., Azuma, Y., Fujita, M., Lee, Y., Currie, P.J., 2013. A new deinonychosaurian track from the Lower Cretaceous Hekou Group, Gansu Province, China. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 58 (4): 723–730.
Xing, L.D., Bell, P.R*., Persons, W.S.IV., Ji, S.A., Miyashita, T., Burns, M.E., Ji, Q., Currie, P.J., 2012. Abdominal Contents from Two Large Early Cretaceous Compsognathids (Dinosauria: Theropoda) Demonstrate Feeding on Confuciusornithids and Dromaeosaurids. PLOS ONE 7(8): e44012.
Xu, X*., Wang, K.B., Zhang, K., Ma, Q.Y., Xing, L.D., Sullivan, C., Hu, D.Y., Cheng, S.Q., Wang, S., 2012. A gigantic feathered dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China. Nature, 484 (7392): 92–95.
Xing, L.D*., Mayor, A., Chen, Y., Harris, J.D., Burns, M.E., 2011. The Folklore of Dinosaur Trackways in China: Impact on Paleontology. Ichnos, 18:4, 213–220
Xing, L.D*., Harris, J.D., Jia, C.K., Luo, Z.J., Wang, S.N., An, J.F., 2011. Early Cretaceous Bird–dominated and Dinosaur Footprint Assemblages from the Northwestern Margin of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China. Palaeoworld, 20: 308–321.
Xing, L.D*., Wu, J.H*., Lu, Y., LÜ, J.C., Ji, Q., 2009. Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Crest with Membrane Attachment on Cretaceous Pterodactyloid Nyctosaurus. Acta Geologica Sinica (English edition), 83(1): 25–32.
Xing, L.D*., Wang, F.P., Pan, S.G., Chen, W., 2007. The Discovery of Dinosaur Footprints from the Middle Cretaceous Jiaguan Formation of Qijiang County, Chongqing City. Acta Geologica Sinica (Chinese edition), 81(11): 1591–1602.