Tetrapod tracks in Permo–Triassic eolian beds of southern Brazil (Paraná Basin)

Abstract

Tetrapod tracks in eolianites are widespread in the fossil record since the late Paleozoic. Among these ichnofaunas, the ichnogenus Chelichnus is the most representative of the Permian tetrapod ichnological record of eolian deposits of Europe, North America and South America, where the Chelichnus Ichnofacies often occurs. In this contribution, we describe five sets of tracks (one of which is preserved in cross-section), representing the first occurrence of Dicynodontipus and Chelichnus in the “Pirambóia Formation” of southern Brazil. This unit represents a humid desert in southwestern Pangea and its lower and upper contacts lead us to consider its age as Lopingian–Induan. The five sets of tracks studied were compared with several ichnotaxa and body fossils with appendicular elements preserved, allowing us to attribute these tracks to dicynodonts and other indeterminate therapsids. Even though the “Pirambóia Formation” track record is sparse and sub-optimally preserved, it is an important key to better understand the occupation of arid environments by tetrapods across the Permo–Triassic boundary.

Tracking the Pliensbachian–Toarcian Karoo firewalkers: Trackways of quadruped and biped dinosaurs and mammaliaforms

“…Made by small tetradactyl quadrupeds of mammaloid affinity with wide feet and short toes, Brasilichnium-like tracks have rounded to transversely oval pes shape, marked heteropody and occur in Late Triassic-Late Cretaceous aeolian dunes and non-aeolian deposits of South and North America as well as Namibia (e.g., [101][102][103][104][105][106]). A larger form of Brasilichnium has recently been named both as B. anaiti by D'Orazi Porchetti et al [105] and as Aracoaraichnium leonardii by Buck et al [107], however Francischini et al [106] assert that these ichnotaxa are "junior subjective synonyms" of the Early Jurassic Navahopus falcipollex (e.g., [102,108,109]).…”

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

“…Thus, taking into account these new data and the chronostratigraphical distribution of Dicynodontipus (e.g., Haubold, 1983; Ceoloni et al, 1988; Retallack, 1996; De Klerk, 2002; Marsicano et al, 2004; Hunt & Lucas, 2007; Klein & Lucas, 2010; Costa da Silva, Sedor & Sequeira Fernandes, 2012; Fichter & Kunz, 2013; Díaz-Martínez et al, 2015; Francischini et al, 2018), the historically proposed Late Triassic age for the the strata of the Vera Formation bearing Dicynodontipus (most likely the lower portion of the unit) is here questioned.…”

Late Permian-Early Jurassic vertebrate tracks from patagonia: Biochronological inferences and relationships with southern african realms

“…byLagnaoui et al (2019) is poorly preserved, thus it is not considered in this study Klein and Niedźwiedzki (2012). reported tracks deemed similar to Dicynodontipus from the Lower Triassic Wióry locality (Holy Cross Mountains, Poland), but the material is here considered too poorly preserved to be confidently assigned to the ichnogenus (see alsoFrancischini et al, 2018).The Late Triassic record related to this ichnogenus comprises tracks from Argentina(Melchor and de Valais, 2006) andBrazil (Costa da Silva et al, 2008). In Argentina, the tracks from the Carnian Portezuelo Formation(Marsicano and Barredo, 2004) are poorly preserved and thus not considered in this study, while the tracks from the Vera Formation are clearly Dicynodontipus but the Late Triassic age is questioned in this work.…”

“…The Lopingian record comprises: Dicynodontipus geinitzi (Hornstein, 1876) Dicynodontipus isp. (Francischini et al, 2018) from the Pirambóia Formation (both in Brazil).…”