Miscellanea aus dem Nusplinger Plattenkalk (Oberjura, Schwäbische Alb) 2. Über Fossile Würmer

Gigantism among Late Jurassic limulids: New ichnological evidence from the Causses Basin (Lozère, France) and comments on body-size evolution among horseshoe crabs

“…All these late Jurassic traces were assigned to Kouphichnium. This ichnogenus was also reported from the Page 7 of 45 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 7 contemporaneous sites of Nusplingen, Germany (Schweigert, 1998;Schweigert and Dietl, 2002) and from the Morrison Formation, USA (Hasiotis, 2004).…”

“…If the report by Goldring and Seilacher (1971) on Early Jurassic traces (Lias of Plochingen, Germany) made by 40 cm-wide limulids can be confirmed, it would be, to our knowledge, the oldest occurrence of very large limulid traces. It seems that the epicontinental seas of Western Europe were locally favorable to gigantic limulids during the Late Jurassic (Schweigert, 1998;Schweigert and Dietl, 2002;Gaillard, 2011;this study). In turn, these very large tracks contradict the idea of a progressive size increase for limulids over geological times (Størmer, 1952;Diedrich, 2011).…”

A giant limulid trackway (Kouphichnium lithographicum) from the lithographic limestones of Cerin (Late Kimmeridgian, France): ethological and environmental implications

“…8). V-shaped furrows as observed by Schweigert (1998) are not present. The occurrence of three pairs of imprints indicates a significant difference from the initial drawing of Oppel (1862) for Kouphichnium litographicum where only one pair is present.…”

“…For example, these behaviours may form resting traces (Miller 1982), successions of resting traces (Hardy 1970;Eagar et al 1985), slight burrowing activity (Romano and Whyte 1987;Wang 1993), regular locomotion (Oppel 1862;Nopsca 1923;Nielsen 1949;Kolb 1963;Frickhinger 1994;Schweigert 1998;Harris and Lacovara 2004) or slow dying locomotion (Malz 1964;Groiss 1975;Barthel 1978;Barthel et al 1990;Frickhinger 1994). The preservation of these traces is often poor and, frequently, only more or less hazy trackways occur (Packard 1900;Bandel 1967;Chisholm 1983;Conti et al 1991;Buatois et al 1998;Harris and Lacovara 2004).…”

“…Today, these traces are well known, are mainly related to the ichnogenus Kouphichnium and lead to interesting behavioural conclusions. They are mainly known from Upper Palaeozoic (Willard 1935;Hardy 1970;Miller 1982;Chisholm 1983;Eagar et al 1985;Conti et al 199I), Triassic (Caster 1939(Caster , 1944Linck 1943;Nielsen 1949;Wang 1993), and Jurassic (Oppel 1862;Caster 1940;Kolb 1963;Barthel 1974;Groiss 1975;Romano and Whyte 1987;Barthel et al 1990;Schweigert 1998;Viohl 1998;Schweigert and Dietl 2002;Harris and Lacovara 2004) rocks. However, an impressive Oligocene trackway was also reported from Japan (Oishi et al 1993;Lockley and Matsukawa 2009).…”