Late Triassic Nonmarine Vertebrate and Invertebrate Trace Fossils and the Pattern of the Phanerozoic Record of Vertebrate Trace Fossils

Hunt, Adrian P.; Lucas, Spencer G.; Klein, Hendrik

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-68009-5_12

Cited by 23 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 211 publications

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“…Within this panorama and accepting the proposed palaeozoological attribution, Pentasauropus tracks represent a valuable datum, further enriching the dicynodont record of the Triassic of Argentina (Cox, 1962; Bonaparte, 1969; Bonaparte, 1971; Bonaparte, 1981; Lucas, 1998; Lucas, 2010; Lucas, 2018; Rogers et al, 2001; Zavattieri & Arcucci, 2007; Fröbisch, 2009; Domnanovich & Marsicano, 2012; Abdala et al, 2013; Mancuso et al, 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…In Lesotho (Southern Africa), Pentasauropus was reported from the lower Elliot Formation (Stormberg Group), which lies above the Carnian Molteno Formation. The lower Elliot Formation was considered Upper Triassic by Ellenberger (1970), Norian-Rhaetian by Olsen & Galton (1984) and Norian by Knoll (2004), Lucas & Hancox (2001) and Lucas (2018), based on fossil remains, both bones and trace fossils. Recently, the Elliot Formation (lower and upper) was discussed by means of magnetostratigraphy, and fixed as Upper Triassic - Lower Jurassic by Sciscio et al (2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the original and subsequent publications of Ellenberger (1955), Ellenberger (1970), Ellenberger (1972), the ichnogenus was considered as valid by Olsen & Galton (1984), Lockley & Meyer (2000), D’Orazi Porchetti & Nicosia (2007), Bordy, Abrahams & Sciscio (2017), and Hunt, Lucas & Klein (2018). D’Orazi Porchetti & Nicosia (2007) emended the diagnosis of the ichnogenus to appoint the type ichnospecies and considered the five ichnospecies as synonyms of Pentasauropus incredibilis .…”

Section: Track Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Triassic pentadactyl tracks from the Los Menucos Group (Río Negro province, Patagonia Argentina): possible constraints on the autopodial posture of Gondwanan trackmakers

Citton

Díaz-Martínez

Valais

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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The Los Menucos locality in Patagonia, Argentina, bears a well-known ichnofauna mostly documented by small therapsid footprints. Within this ichnofauna, large pentadactyl footprints are also represented but to date were relatively underinvestigated. These footprints are here analyzed and discussed based on palaeobiological indications (i.e., trackmaker identification). High resolution digital photogrammetry method was performed to achieve a more objective representation of footprint three-dimensional morphologies. The footprints under study are compared with Pentasauropus from the Upper Triassic lower Elliot Formation (Stormberg Group) of the Karoo Basin (Lesotho, southern Africa). Some track features suggest a therapsid-grade synapsid as the potential trackmaker, to be sought among anomodont dicynodonts (probably Kannemeyeriiformes). While the interpretation of limb posture in the producer of Pentasauropus tracks from the Los Menucos locality agrees with those described from the dicynodont body fossil record, the autopodial posture does not completely agree. The relative distance between the impression of the digital (ungual) bases and the distal edge of the pad trace characterizing the studied tracks likely indicates a subunguligrade foot posture (i.e., standing on the last and penultimate phalanges) in static stance, but plantiportal (i.e., the whole foot skeleton and related soft tissues are weight-bearing) during the dynamics of locomotion. The reconstructed posture might have implied an arched configuration of the articulated metapodials and at least of the proximal phalanges, as well as little movement capabilities of the metapodials. Usually, a subunguligrade-plantiportal autopod has been described for gigantic animals (over six hundreds kilograms of body weight) to obtain an efficient management of body weight. Nevertheless, this kind of autopod is described here for large but not gigantic animals, as the putative trackmakers of Pentasauropus were. This attribution implies that such an autopodial structure was promoted independently from the body size in the putative trackmakers. From an evolutionary point of view, subunguligrade-plantiportal autopods not necessarily must be related with an increase in body size, but rather the increase in body size requires a subunguligrade or unguligrade, plantiportal foot. Chronostratigraphically, Pentasauropus was reported from Upper Triassic deposits of South Africa and United States, and from late Middle Triassic and Upper Triassic deposits of Argentina. Based on the stratigraphic distribution of the ichnogenus currently accepted, a Late Triassic age is here proposed for the Pentasauropus-bearing levels of the Los Menucos Group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Track Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Triassic pentadactyl tracks from the Los Menucos Group (Río Negro province, Patagonia Argentina): possible constraints on the autopodial posture of Gondwanan trackmakers

Citton

Díaz-Martínez

Valais

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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“…Systematic discussion. Heel traces occur sporadically in type Batrachopus, i.e., B. deweyi from the Lower Jurassic of the Connecticut Valley region 3 , and are regarded as possibly incorporating a reduced digit V, never illustrated as a separate digit trace 3,33 . However they are inconsistently and incompletely registered, thus appearing in only two of seven consecutive tracks in the type trackway, and never with skin traces.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trackway evidence for large bipedal crocodylomorphs from the Cretaceous of Korea

Kim

Lockley

Lim

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Large well-preserved crocodylomorph tracks from the Lower cretaceous (? Aptian) Jinju formation of South Korea, represent the well-known crocodylomorph ichnogenus Batrachopus. the Korean sample includes multiple, narrow-gauge, pes-only trackways with footprint lengths (FL) 18-24 cm, indicating trackmaker body lengths up to ~3.0 m. Surprisingly, the consistent absence of manus tracks in trackways, with well-preserved digital pad and skin traces, argues for bipedal trackmakers, here assigned to Batrachopus grandis ichnosp. nov. No definitive evidence, either from pes-onmanus overprinting or poor track preservation, suggests the trackways where made by quadrupeds that only appear bipedal. this interpretation helps solve previous confusion over interpretation of enigmatic tracks of bipeds from younger (? Albian) Haman formation sites by showing they are not pterosaurian as previously inferred. Rather, they support the strong consensus that pterosaurs were obligate quadrupeds, not bipeds. Lower Jurassic Batrachopus with foot lengths (FL) in the 2-8 cm range, and cretaceous Crocodylopodus (FL up to ~9.0 cm) known only from Korea and Spain registered narrow gauge trackways indicating semi-terrestrial/terrestrial quadrupedal gaits. Both ichnogenera, from ichnofamily Batrachopodidae, have been attributed to Protosuchus-like semi-terrestrial crocodylomorphs. the occurrence of bipedal B. grandis ichnosp. nov. is evidence of such adaptations in the Korean cretaceous. Crocodylomorph tracks are generally rare in the Mesozoic of Asia. It has been suggested that this is in part due to the lack of sedimentary facies representing suitable habitats for this group of ostensibly aquatic trackmakers 1. However, the crocodylomorph ichnofamily Batrachopodidae 2,3 appears to represent more terrestrially-adapted forms 3,4. As currently defined, the batrachopodids 5 include Batrachopus and Crocodylopodus, the former mostly known from small tracks (~2.0-8.0 cm long) from the Lower Jurassic of North America 4 , Europe 5,6 and Africa 7 , the latter primarily from the Cretaceous of Europe 8,9. The ichnofamily also includes Antipus known only from one well-described Lower Jurassic trackway from North America which is considered a synonym of Batrachopus by some 3 , but not all ichnologists 10. Recently Crocodylopodus was reported from the Lower Cretaceous (?Aptian) 11 Jinju Formation of Korea 12,13 , where it represents the first Asian occurrence, and adds to the extraordinarily rich Jinju Formation, ichnofauna described as a Konservat-Lagerstätten 14-19. Spanish 8,9 and Korean 12,13 Crocodylopodus represent relatively small animals (footprint lengths less than ~9.0-10.0 cm) with slender digit traces, which may reflect penetrative track preservation 20. However, the trackway configuration is diagnostically crocodilian, with elongate tetradactyl pes and outwardly rotated pentadactyl manus, not unlike those of extant crocodilians 21-23 (Supplementary Information: SI Fig. 1). Here we report on a large, newly-discovered Jinju Formation assemblage wi...

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“…Vertebrate coprolites enjoy a broad interest, and many ichnotaxa have been erected (see Hunt et al . , ), although no systematic overview of all established vertebrate coprolite ichnotaxa seems to exist. Invertebrate coprolites are also the subject of increasing interest, and proper nomenclature is key for their application in various fields.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Invertebrate coprolites and cololites revised

Knaust

2020

Papers in Palaeontology

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Late Triassic Nonmarine Vertebrate and Invertebrate Trace Fossils and the Pattern of the Phanerozoic Record of Vertebrate Trace Fossils

Cited by 23 publications

References 211 publications

Triassic pentadactyl tracks from the Los Menucos Group (Río Negro province, Patagonia Argentina): possible constraints on the autopodial posture of Gondwanan trackmakers

Triassic pentadactyl tracks from the Los Menucos Group (Río Negro province, Patagonia Argentina): possible constraints on the autopodial posture of Gondwanan trackmakers

Trackway evidence for large bipedal crocodylomorphs from the Cretaceous of Korea

Invertebrate coprolites and cololites revised

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