Invertebrate trace fossils from the Pennsylvanian Rhode Island Formation of Massachusetts, USA

Abstract

A large open-pit quarry in Plainville, Massachusetts, has yielded fourteen invertebrate ichnotaxa from the Pennsylvanian Rhode Island Formation of the Narragansett Basin. These traces include Cochlichnus anguineus, Diplichnites cuithensis, Diplichnites gouldi, Diplopodichnus biformis, Gordia carickensis, Helminthoidichites tenuis, Lockeia isp., Mitchellichnus cf. ferrydenensis, Planolites montanus, Siskemia elegans, Stiallia pilosa, Stiaria intermedia, Tonganoxichnus buildexensis and Narragansettichnus fortunatus new ichnogenus and ichnospecies. Specimens were collected from talus and the depositional environment has been inferred from sedimentary structures. The sediment-ology of the slabs on which the traces were preserved indicates that the rocks represent lake-margin and shallowlacustrine sedimentary facies. Distinct ichnofacies occur in the different sedimentary environments. The lake-margin traces belong to the Scoyenia ichnofacies and include traces of apterygote insects, arthropleurid myriapods, bivalved arthropods and vermiform animals in association with tracks of temnospondyl amphibians and diapsid reptiles. The lacustrine traces include arthropod trackways, fish trails and a newly named body imprint possibly produced by an aquatic mayfly larva. These shallow lacustrine traces are attributed to the Mermia ichnofacies.

Retrodeformation of Carboniferous Trace Fossils From the Narragansett Basin, United States, Using Raindrop Imprints and Bedding-Cleavage Intersection Lineation as Strain Markers

“…This procedure assumes strain is dominantly homogeneous on the bedding surface and restores the strain ellipse for the bedding surface to a circle. Getty et al (2010) reported both anamniote and amniote tracks from this locality. The anamniote tracks belong to the ichnogenera Batrachichnus and Limnopus, which are morphologically similar and are differentiated primarily by size (Tucker and Smith 2004).…”

First discovery of Mississippian trace fossils in the Świebodzice Unit from the Witoszów region (SW Poland)

“…Diplopodichnus rep re sents the repichnion etho log i cal cat e gory (e.g., Pazos, 2002;Sadlok, 2008). Ac cord ing to many au thors (e.g., Brady, 1947;Draganits et al, 2001;Getty et al, 2017;Lima et al, 2017) the pro duc ers of D. biformis were mil li pedes. As stated by Diplopodichnus is sim i lar to some vari ants of re cent sur face traces of isopods (ben thic crusta ceans).…”

“…This ichnogenus is usu ally known from con ti nen tal and nearshore en vi ron ments (Lucas et al, 2004) of the Mermia and Scoyenia ichnofacies (Zhang et al, 1998;Lucas et al, 2013;Getty et al, 2017). It also oc curs in the Up per Pa leo zoic diamictite and rhythmite fa cies in South Amer ica (Buatois and Mángano, 2011;Schatz et al, 2011;Netto et al, 2012b).…”

“…The spec i mens from Witoszów are the first from a deep ma rine envi ron ment. The strati graphic range of the ichnogenus is from the Or do vi cian to the Ju ras sic (Avanzini et al, 2011;Uchman et al, 2011a), and it cov ers a wide geo graphic area (Eu rope, USA, South Amer ica, In dia, China, see Zhang et al, 1998;Minter and Braddy, 2009;Avanzini et al, 2011;Schatz et al, 2011;Lima et al, 2017;Getty et al, 2017).…”

The fossil flora and age of the Wamsutta red beds (Middle Pennsylvanian), Narragansett Basin, southeastern Massachusetts, USA and correlation with the Cumberland Group of the Maritime Provinces of Canada

“…The Rhode Island Formation is almost 3000 m thick and consist of grey polymictic conglomerate, grey quartz-rich sandstone and siltstone, grey to black shale, and coal seams up to 10 m thick (Lyons 1977;Skehan et al 1979;Murray et al 2004). A rich variety of fossil plants and, to a lesser extent, faunal ichnofossils and insect wings, occur in the formation (Scudder 1893;Oleksyshyn 1976;Sproule and Getty 2012;Getty et al 2013Getty et al , 2017. Biostratigraphic analyses of the fossil flora indicate that the age of the Rhode Island Formation ranges from early Bolsovian to Stephanian B or C (Oleksyshyn 1976;Skehan et al 1979;PCL and RGS unpublished data).…”