Abstract
Tetrapod tracks in eolianites are widespread in the fossil record since the late Paleozoic. Among these ichnofaunas, the ichnogenus Chelichnus is the most representative of the Permian tetrapod ichnological record of eolian deposits of Europe, North America and South America, where the Chelichnus Ichnofacies often occurs. In this contribution, we describe five sets of tracks (one of which is preserved in cross-section), representing the first occurrence of Dicynodontipus and Chelichnus in the “Pirambóia Formation” of southern Brazil. This unit represents a humid desert in southwestern Pangea and its lower and upper contacts lead us to consider its age as Lopingian–Induan. The five sets of tracks studied were compared with several ichnotaxa and body fossils with appendicular elements preserved, allowing us to attribute these tracks to dicynodonts and other indeterminate therapsids. Even though the “Pirambóia Formation” track record is sparse and sub-optimally preserved, it is an important key to better understand the occupation of arid environments by tetrapods across the Permo–Triassic boundary.
Highlights
Tetrapods experimented with their first incursions into desert environments during the Carboniferous Period and, since they have come to occupy almost all desert elements, such as dunes, interdunes and sand sheets (Krapovickas et al, 2016)
Despite the terrestrial tetrapod faunal turnover and extinctions that marked the Guadalupian–Lopingian transition (Day et al, 2015a; Lucas, 2017) and the end-Permian biotic crisis (Benton & Twitchett, 2003; Retallack, Smith & Ward, 2003; Lucas, 2009), the Permian eolian tetrapod track record is dominated by Chelichnus tracks, which are morphologically constant during the entire Permian (McKeever & Haubold, 1996)
The recurrence of the morphological and extramorphological features of the tetrapod tracks made on eolian sand substrates results in desert facies-controlled ichnofaunas, which are broadly known as the Chelichnus Ichnofacies (Lockley et al, 1995; Hunt & Lucas, 2007; Hunt & Lucas, 2016)
Summary
Tetrapods experimented with their first incursions into desert environments during the Carboniferous Period and, since they have come to occupy almost all desert elements, such as dunes, interdunes and sand sheets (Krapovickas et al, 2016). Despite the terrestrial tetrapod faunal turnover and extinctions that marked the Guadalupian–Lopingian transition (Day et al, 2015a; Lucas, 2017) and the end-Permian biotic crisis (Benton & Twitchett, 2003; Retallack, Smith & Ward, 2003; Lucas, 2009), the Permian eolian tetrapod track record is dominated by Chelichnus tracks, which are morphologically constant during the entire Permian (McKeever & Haubold, 1996) This dominance is partially explained by the role of the preservation of tetrapod tracks in eolian sands, which add new nonmorphological, substrate-controlled features to the original autopodium impression, referred to as extramorphological characters (Peabody, 1948; Haubold et al, 1995; Mancuso et al, 2016). The recurrence of the morphological and extramorphological features of the tetrapod tracks made on eolian sand substrates results in desert facies-controlled ichnofaunas, which are broadly known as the Chelichnus Ichnofacies (Lockley et al, 1995; Hunt & Lucas, 2007; Hunt & Lucas, 2016)
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