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Palaeoecological analysis of trace fossil Sinusichnus sinuosus from the Middle Triassic Guanling Formationin Southwestern China

Version 2 2024-06-02, 13:49
Version 1 2018-09-10, 14:13
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-02, 13:49 authored by M Luo, YM Gong, Guang ShiGuang Shi, ZQ Chen, J Huang, S Hu, X Feng, Q Zhang, C Zhou, W Wen
The Luoping Biota discovered from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) Guanling Formation of southwestern China represents a fully recovered shallow marine ecosystem, marking the end point of Early Triassic biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction. Contemporaneously preserved are prolific trace fossils, which offer good opportunities to understand the palaeoecology of marine invertebrates from a fully recovered shallow marine ecosystem. Here we present a newly discovered sinuous branching burrow from the fossil-bearing unit in Member II of the Guanling Formation. Several features, including the horizontal regular sinuous nature, the branching pattern, typical H-junction, and the small wavelength/amplitude ratio of these sinuous structures within the burrow systems justify assignment of these traces as Sinusichnus sinuosus, a trace possibly produced by decapod crustaceans. Close association of S. sinuosus with Rhizocorallium commune suggests a deposit-feeding strategy of these trace makers. The newly reported Anisian material from the Guanling Formation in Luoping represents first report of Sinusichnus from South China. The global record of Sinusichnus occurrence suggests that these burrows might have an older history than Early Middle Triassic.

History

Journal

Journal of earth science

Volume

29

Pagination

854-863

Location

Berlin, Germany

ISSN

1674-487X

eISSN

1867-111X

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article, C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2018, China University of Geosciences and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Issue

4

Publisher

Springer