Meemann Chang

Meemann Chang
Born	张弥曼 April 17, 1936 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Other names	Zhang Miman, Mee-mann Chang
Nationality	Chinese
Fields	Vertebrate paleontology
Institutions	Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Alma mater	Moscow University and Stockholm University
Doctoral students	Zhou Zhonghe
Other notable students	Xiaobo Yu

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

1. "IVPP's Professor to Receive Honorary Degree from Chicago University----Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences". english.ivpp.cas.cn. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
2. Dalton, R. (2006). "Palaeontology: Hooked on fossils". Nature. 439 (7074): 262–263. doi:10.1038/439262a. PMID 16421540.
3. Zhu, M.; Yu, X.; Wang, W.; Zhao, W.; Jia, L. (2006). "A primitive fish provides key characters bearing on deep osteichthyan phylogeny". Nature. 441 (7089): 77–80. doi:10.1038/nature04563. PMID 16672968.
4. Xu, X.; Norell, M. A.; Wang, X. L.; Makovicky, P. J.; Wu, X. C. (2002). "A basal troodontid from the Early Cretaceous of China". Nature. 415 (6873): 780–784. doi:10.1038/415780a. PMID 11845206.
5. Balter, Michael (5 May 2015). "Feathered fossils from China reveal dawn of modern birds". Science. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
6. Chang, M.; Chou, C. (1977). On Late Mesozoic fossil fishes from Zhejiang province, China. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
7. Xu, G. H. I.; Chang, M. E. M. (2009). "Redescription of †Paralycoptera wuiChang & Chou, 1977 (Teleostei: Osteoglossoidei) from the Early Cretaceous of eastern China". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 157: 83. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00532.x.
8. Chang, M. & Yu, X. Structure and Phylogenetic significance of Diabolichthys speratus gen. et sp. nov.; a new Dipnoan-like from the lower Devonian of E. Yunnan; China. Journal of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, Sydney (1984)
9. Chang, M. & Yu, X. B. (1981) A new crossopterygian, Youngolepis praecursor, gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower Devonian of Eastern Yunnan, China. Scientia Sinica 24:89-97.

External links

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