Meemann Chang

Meemann Chang (Chinese: 张弥曼) is a Chinese paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP). She completed her undergraduate studies at Moscow University and completed her PhD thesis entitled 'The braincase of Youngolepis, a Lower Devonian crossopterygian from Yunnan, south-western China' at Stockholm University.^[1] She was the first woman to become head of IVPP in 1983.^[2] Later in 2011 she also received an honorary degree from the University of Chicago for her many career achievements.^[1]

Species named in her honour include the extinct sarcopterygian fish Meemannia,^[3] the theropod dinosaur Sinovenator changii,^[4] and the extinct bird Archaeornithura meemannae.^[5] There is also a unique organ of yunnanolepid antiarch placoderms named "Chang's Apparatus" after her.

There is also a special book volume on fossil fish published in her honour Morphology, Phylogeny and Paleobiogeography of Fossil Fishes, ISBN 0-786918-50-0 .

Meemann notably first described^[6] and later re-described^[7] the fossil genus Paralycoptera, and also described the fossil genera Diabolepis^[8] and Youngolepis.^[9]

Selected Publications

• Liu, H. & Chang, M. First discovery of helicoprionid in China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica (1963).
• Chang, M New materials of Mesoclupea from southeastern China and on the systematic position of the genus. Vertebrata PalAsiatica (1963).
• Chang, M. & Chou, J. On the fossil fishes in Mesozoic and Cenozoic oil-bearing strata from east China and their sedimentary environment. Vertebrata PalAsiatica (1978).
• Chang, M. Palaeontology: Fossil fish up for election. Nature 403, 152–153 (2000).
• Chang, M., Miao, D., Chen, Y., Zhou, J. & Chen, P. Suckers (Fish, Catostomidae) from the Eocene of China account for the family’s current disjunct distributions. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 44, 577–586 (2001).
• Chang, M., Peiji, C., Yuanqing, W. & Yuan, W. Jehol Biota. Shanghai: Shanghai Scientific and (2003).
• Chen, G., Fang, F. & Chang, M. A new cyprinid closely related to cultrins+xenocyprinins from the mid-Tertiary of South China. J. Vert. Paleontol. 25, 492–501 (2005).
• Chang, M., Zhang, J. & Miao, D. A lamprey from the Cretaceous Jehol biota of China. Nature 441, 972–974 (2006).
• Wang, X. ... Chang, M. et al. Vertebrate paleontology, biostratigraphy, geochronology, and paleoenvironment of Qaidam Basin in northern Tibetan Plateau. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 254, 363–385 (2007).
• Chang, M. et al. Extraordinarily thick-boned fish linked to the aridification of the Qaidam Basin (northern Tibetan Plateau). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105, 13246–13251 (2008).
• Liu, J. & Chang, M. A new Eocene catostomid (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from northeastern China and early divergence of Catostomidae. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 52, 189–202 (2009).
• Xu, G.-H. & Chang, M. Redescription of †Paralycoptera wui Chang & Chou, 1977 (Teleostei: Osteoglossoidei) from the Early Cretaceous of eastern China. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 157, 83–106 (2009).
• Wang, N. & Chang, M. Pliocene cyprinids (Cypriniformes, Teleostei) from Kunlun Pass Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau and their bearings on development of water system and uplift of the area. Sci. China Earth Sci. 53, 485–500 (2010).
• Chen, G. & Chang, M. A new early cyprinin from Oligocene of South China. Sci. China Earth Sci. 54, 481–492 (2011).
• Wang, N. & Chang, M. Discovery of fossil Nemacheilids (Cypriniformes, Teleostei, Pisces) from the Tibetan Plateau, China. Sci. China Earth Sci. 55, 714–727 (2012).

References

External links

• IVPP’s Professor to Receive Honorary Degree from Chicago University
• CAS Members