Corkscrew-like horizontal trace fossils with a focus on a new ichnospecies of Helicodromites from the Oligocene Molare Formation of NW Italy

Authors

  • Alfred Uchman Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University
  • Bruno Rattazzi

Keywords:

ichnology, ichnotaxonomy, new ichnospecies, Piemonte Tertiary Basin, Paleogene

Abstract

Horizontal helical trace fossils constitute a characteristic burrow architectural design, but their ichnotaxonomy requires some clarification. In this paper, we review and revise this taxonomy on the basis of collections and data from the literature. Helicorhaphe is included in Helicodromites because its type ichnospecies displays the same morphological principles. A new ichnospecies of Helicodromites is distinguished from Oligocene offshore fan delta deposits in NW Italy. All ichnospecies of Helicodromites display a characteristic set of morphometric parameters that allow their distinction. All were probably produced by capitellid polychaetes in a deep tier within the sediment. They were generally stationary burrows, whose tracemakers benefited from feeding on microbes without significant sediment reworking

Downloads

Published

2023-08-02

Issue

Vol. 67 No. 2 (2023)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as this can lead to productive exchanges and earlier and more frequent citation of the published work (See The Effect of Open Access).