"Splitting" and "lumping" are perpetual problems in vertebrate, especially dinosaur, ichnotaxonomy. Chinese dinosaur ichnotaxonomy, which began in 1940, provides a series of interesting case studies, highlighting the dual problems of historical and dubious ichnotuonomy. Chinese Mesozoic tetrapod track types have been placed into 63 ichnospecies (one Triassic, 28 Jurassic, and 34 Cretaceous), exclusive of other, non-type ichnospecies or ichnota:J:a identified from China. Fifty-two (-83%) of these 63 tetrapod ichnospecies were placed in monospecific ichnogenerL At the ichnogenus level, we prune--either by recognizing nomina dubia or by synonymy-17 from the list of 53 dinosaurian ichnogenera (a 32% reduction), leaving 36 ichnotaxa that we consider valid. Most of the cuts affect Jurassic theropod ichnotaxa, which are reduced from 23 to only nine because most ichnogenera are subjective junior synonyms of Grallator and Eubrontes. Fewer Chinese Cretaceous ichnotaxa (only six of 21 ichnogenera) are obvious nomina dubill or subjective synonyms, suggesting greater east Asian endemism during this time. Because ichnospecies differences are subtle, we provisionally retain ichnospecies as valid pending detailed comparative analyses of congeneric ichnospecies. This synthesis is long overdue and is necessary to address problems of historical and provincial ichnotaxonomy, which severely hamper comparisons of tetrapod ichnofaunas in space and time.

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Tracks and traces of crouching theropods are rare, known from only three specimens from the Lower Jurassic of New England and the Lower to ?mid Jurassic of China. The New England specimens reveal manus, metatarsal and sub-crescentic ischial callosity impressions associated with Grallator-like tracks. The Chinese traces reveal metatarsal traces and a sub-triangular ischial callosity impression associated with Eubrontes-like tracks. All reveal symmetrical crouching postures. Theropod crouching traces should not be confused with ornithopod crouching traces, often assigned to Anomoepus. The ichnotaxonomy surrounding all these traces and associated footprints is very complex, and over split. Suggestions for simplification allow recognition that the North American and Chinese ichnofaunas have many similarities. The ichnotaxonomy is not as complex and confused as it may at first appear.

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