Teredolites trace fossils in log-grounds from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the state of Coahuila, Mexico

Abstract

Teredolites longissimus, a teredinid boring ichnofossil, is described from log-grounds found in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico (Upper Cretaceous). Teredinids, commonly known as shipworms, are marine bivalves that bore into woody substrates and are known from the Jurassic Period to present day. Trace fossils of T. longissimus are taphonomically informative because they provide evidence for the timing and position of wood prior to burial. Colonization and behavior of teredinid bivalves is also dependent on the shipworm density, age of the bivalves, and decomposition of the woody substrate. This study explores the life histories and taphonomic histories of teredinid bivalves and log-grounds in the Cerro del Pueblo and adds to the growing literature on ichnofossils in this deposit.