The Case for Archetypal Vertebrate Ichnofacies. Issue 3 (1st October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hunt, Adrian P.; Lucas, Spencer G.
• Is Part Of: Ichnos. Volume 23:Issue 3/4(2016)
• Page Start: 237
• Page End: 247
• Publication Date: 2016-10-01
• Subjects: Archetypal vertebrate Ichnofacies -- Tetrapod -- Phanerozoic -- Biotaxonichnofacies -- Ethoichnofacies; Ichnology -- Periodicals; Trace fossils -- Periodicals; 560.5
• DOI: 10.1080/10420940.2016.1164153
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1042-0940

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Vertebrate and invertebrate ichnology have different traditions—the ethological and the biotaxonomic—resulting in corresponding ethoichnofacies and biotaxonichnofacies. Archetypal vertebrate ichnofacies are Chelichnus, Grallator, Brontopodus, Batrachichnus, and Characichnos . Ichnofacies are discernable in nonmarine environments. Tetrapod trace fossils can be utilized in the definition of ichnofacies. It is reasonable to use trace fossils of only one phylum (Vertebrata) to define ichnofacies because vertebrate ichnofossils yield biotaxonichnofacies, whereas Seilacherian ichnofacies are ethoichnofacies. Early named vertebrate ichnofacies are ichnocoenoses of limited temporal extent. Archetypal vertebrate ichnofacies are biotaxonomic in nature, so they are neither directly comparable nor subsumable within Seilacherian ethoichnofacies.