Triassic Footprints from Lerici (La Spezia, Northern Italy)

Abstract

A reptile footprint fauna was recovered at Lerici, near La Spezia (northern Apennines, Italy) from Triassic sediments, belonging to the upper portion of the Montemarcello Formation. These sediments, of Mid to Late Triassic age, were deposited on a flood plain, during an early stage of rifting. The footprint-bearing levels are Carnian in age and the ichnofauna is unexpectedly diverse, including two chirotherian- and three dinosaur-related forms; consequently our findings are among the more ancient records of a true dinosaur-based ichnocoenosis.Due to the emerging complexity of systematic and stratigraphical problems, we restrict this paper to the description of a new prosauropod-related ichnotaxon named Evazoum siriguii igen. et isp. nov.In attempting to include this ichnotaxon into a convincing systematic framework we were obliged to examine the present confused situation of some different ichnotaxa. The conclusion of this attempt was that an integrated study is urgently needed to shed light on the systematics of quite a large number of prosauropod-related ichnotaxa.