Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

Lower Triassic vertebrate footprints from Wióry, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland

Tadeusz Ptaszyński

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 45 (2), 2000: 151-194

Vertebrate footprints occur in the Middle Buntsandstein (Lower Triassic) Labyrinthodontidae Beds exposed at Wióry in the northeastern margin of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland). They represent the richest footprint assemblage from the Middle Buntsandstein in Europe known to date. This assemblage comprises 11 ichnospecies representing seven ichnogenera attributable to amphibians and reptiles. The following new ichnotaxa are erected: Prorotodactylidae ichnofam. n., Prorotodactylus mirus ichnogen. et ichnosp. n., Capitosauroides fuglewiczi ichnosp. n., Brachychirotherium wiorense ichnosp. n., Isochirotherium gierlinskii ichnosp. n., Synaptichnium kotanskii ichnosp. n., and Rhynchosauroides rdzaneki ichnosp. n. The Prorotodactylus trackmakers possibly represent a systematic group close to that from which the Rotodactylus trackmakers and dinosaurs originated.

Key words: Footprints, ichnotaxonomy, Buntsandstein, Lower Triassic, Poland.

Tadeusz Ptaszyński, ul. Strońska 1 m. 12, PL-01-461 Warszawa, Poland.


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