Enigmatic trace fossil from the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group of Yorkshire, England

David M. Martill; Danielle Milbank; Mike Romano; Roy E. Smith

doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.09.004

Enigmatic trace fossil from the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group of Yorkshire, England

David M. Martill, Danielle Milbank, Mike Romano, Roy E. Smith

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

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Abstract

An enigmatic partial trackway from the Aalenian to Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) Ravenscar Group of Whitby, North Yorkshire bears a striking resemblance to the pterosaur trace Pteraichinus. It also displays some similarities with the xiphosuran trackway Kouphichnium. The trackway is assigned to a new ichnogenus and ichnospecies Pseudopteraichnus whitbyensis. Using tetrapods as a comparator, Pseudopteraichnus is characterised by an elongate ‘heel’, a sub-triangular ‘tarsus’ and four unequal ‘digits’. A possible fifth digit is located posterolaterally. The track maker is unknown.

Original language	English
Journal	Proceedings of the Geologists' Association
Early online date	3 Oct 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.09.004
Publication status	Early online - 3 Oct 2024

Keywords

Middle Jurassic
Aalenian
trace fossil
Pterosauria
Arthropoda
Yorkshire

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10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.09.004

Enigmatic trace fossilProof, 3.4 MBLicence: CC BY

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title = "Enigmatic trace fossil from the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group of Yorkshire, England",

abstract = "An enigmatic partial trackway from the Aalenian to Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) Ravenscar Group of Whitby, North Yorkshire bears a striking resemblance to the pterosaur trace Pteraichinus. It also displays some similarities with the xiphosuran trackway Kouphichnium. The trackway is assigned to a new ichnogenus and ichnospecies Pseudopteraichnus whitbyensis. Using tetrapods as a comparator, Pseudopteraichnus is characterised by an elongate {\textquoteleft}heel{\textquoteright}, a sub-triangular {\textquoteleft}tarsus{\textquoteright} and four unequal {\textquoteleft}digits{\textquoteright}. A possible fifth digit is located posterolaterally. The track maker is unknown.",

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author = "Martill, {David M.} and Danielle Milbank and Mike Romano and Smith, {Roy E.}",

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doi = "10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.09.004",

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T1 - Enigmatic trace fossil from the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group of Yorkshire, England

AU - Martill, David M.

AU - Milbank, Danielle

AU - Romano, Mike

AU - Smith, Roy E.

PY - 2024/10/3

Y1 - 2024/10/3

N2 - An enigmatic partial trackway from the Aalenian to Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) Ravenscar Group of Whitby, North Yorkshire bears a striking resemblance to the pterosaur trace Pteraichinus. It also displays some similarities with the xiphosuran trackway Kouphichnium. The trackway is assigned to a new ichnogenus and ichnospecies Pseudopteraichnus whitbyensis. Using tetrapods as a comparator, Pseudopteraichnus is characterised by an elongate ‘heel’, a sub-triangular ‘tarsus’ and four unequal ‘digits’. A possible fifth digit is located posterolaterally. The track maker is unknown.

AB - An enigmatic partial trackway from the Aalenian to Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) Ravenscar Group of Whitby, North Yorkshire bears a striking resemblance to the pterosaur trace Pteraichinus. It also displays some similarities with the xiphosuran trackway Kouphichnium. The trackway is assigned to a new ichnogenus and ichnospecies Pseudopteraichnus whitbyensis. Using tetrapods as a comparator, Pseudopteraichnus is characterised by an elongate ‘heel’, a sub-triangular ‘tarsus’ and four unequal ‘digits’. A possible fifth digit is located posterolaterally. The track maker is unknown.

KW - Middle Jurassic

KW - Aalenian

KW - trace fossil

KW - Pterosauria

KW - Arthropoda

KW - Yorkshire

UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0016787824000567

U2 - 10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.09.004

DO - 10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.09.004

M3 - Article

SN - 0016-7878

JO - Proceedings of the Geologists' Association

JF - Proceedings of the Geologists' Association

ER -

Enigmatic trace fossil from the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group of Yorkshire, England

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Keywords

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