Palaeogeographic Range Research Articles

EDIACARA-TYPE BIOTA IN THE UPPER PRECAMBRIAN OF TIMAN RANGE (DZHEZHIM-PARMA HILL, THE KOMI REPUBLIC)

The macroscopic fossils, an Ediacara-type composite moulds and casts, were found in the Dzhezhim Formation of the Timan Range for the first time. Among them, the representatives of palaeopascichnids, frondomorphs, chuariomorph colonies, arumberiamorph structures as well as trace fossils were diagnosed. Finding of a large number of various Ediacaran fossils on Timan Range both develops the understanding of their palaeogeographic range, and also clarifies the age limits of the deposition of the Dzhezhim Formation, whose stratigraphic position in the Upper Precambrian section was controversial.

Oechsleria unterfeldensis, gen. et sp. nov., a sailfin velifer fish (Lampridiformes, Veliferidae) from the Oligocene of the Unterfeld (“Frauenweiler”) clay pit

These are the first and so far only records of a sailfin velifer fish from the Lower Oligocene of the Unterfeld (“Frauenweiler”) clay pit at Rauenberg (S Germany), and only the fourth fossil skeletal finds of this group worldwide. The new genus and species †Oechsleria unterfeldensis is described in detail, diagnosed, and compared to other fossil and extant representatives of the Veliferidae. It appears to be a comparatively small-sized fish, which differs from the other representatives of this family, apart from body proportions, by having a lower number of vertebrae and dorsal-fin rays, the absence of massive spines in the dorsal and anal fins, four anal-fin pterygiophores in front of the anteriormost haemal spine, and a different morphology and size of various skeletal elements. Amongst others, the following character states are of relevance: a supraoccipital that is laterally sculptured by strong surface ridges; a weak ascending process of the premaxilla that is shorter than in the other veliferid taxa; compound (fused) anteriormost dorsal- and anal-fin pterygiophores, together with spineless dorsal and anal fins with unornamented rays (no spinules), of which the majority are bilaterally paired and both halves are fused only proximally but separate and segmented distally; a short coracoid that does not reach the ventral body margin; a broad and anterodorsally directed pelvic bone that bears a well-developed postpelvic process, and probably also the presence of a short pointed neural spine (in contrast to a distally blunt one and/or a low crest) on the second preural centrum. All in all, the new fossil records remarkably increase the known biodiversity of the Veliferidae. They also expand the known palaeogeographic range of this family as far as to the Western Paratethys. With reference to the occurrence and life habits as deduced from the extant forms, they seem to be another Indo-Pacific (respectively Palaeo-Mediterranean, when referring to the fossil forms) element of the Grube Unterfeld fish fauna with a preference for deeper waters and affinities to temperate to tropical climates.

A new dromioid crab from the late Campanian of Hornby Island, Canada

We report Sabellidromites lanae n. sp. (Crustacea, Decapoda, Dromiidae) from the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian) of Hornby Island, British Columbia (Canada). Sabellidromites lanae n. sp. is the first report of a dromioid crab from Nanaimo Group of Vancouver Island and the first report for the genus in North America, enlarging its palaeogeographic range.

A new advanced ornithuromorph bird from Inner Mongolia documents the northernmost geographic distribution of the Jehol paleornithofauna in China

ABSTRACT We describe a new taxon of advanced ornithuromorph bird, Khinganornis hulunbuirensis gen. et sp. nov., from the previously unreported Pigeon Hill locality of the Lower Cretaceous Longjiang Formation in the northern Greater Khingan Range area of Inner Mongolia, China. A cladistics analysis resolves K. hulunbuirensis as the sister group of a clade formed by Changzuiornis and Iteravis among ornithuromorphs. The osteohistological analysis indicates that K. hulunbuirensis is the first ornithuromorph that maintained an uninterrupted growth during a longer period characterised by slow deposition of low-vascularised and terminal avascular bone tissue. The relatively long hindlimbs and elongate pedal digits with long proximal phalanges suggest a wading and amphibious ecology for the new bird. The discovery of K. hulunbuirensis represents the first occurrence of Jehol birds in the Greater Khingan Range and documents the northernmost known geographic distribution of the celebrated avifauna in China. The new record implies more extended palaeogeographic range for the early diversification of Mesozoic birds on the eastern side of Laurasia.

Paterimitra pyramidalis Laurie, 1986, the first tommotiid discovered from the early Cambrian of North China

The eccentrothecimorph tommotiid Paterimitra pyramidalis Laurie, 1986, was previously only known from lower Cambrian rocks of the Northern Territory and South Australia. Herein, we document the first occurrence of P. pyramidalis from the Xinji Formation in the Shuiyu section at Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province, located at the southwestern margin of the North China Platform. This represents the first report of a tommotiid taxon from lower Cambrian strata of the North China Platform. All three sclerite types that characterise the scleritome of P. pyramidalis have been recovered and are described, permitting definitive identification to species level. The discovery of P. pyramidalis from the North China Platform not only greatly extends the palaeogeographic range of this distinctive tommotiid taxon, but also supports planktotrophic development of larvae in Paterimitra as a stem group brachiopod. The discovery of P. pyramidalis supports a Cambrian, Epoch 2, late Age 3 to early Age 4 age for the shelly fossil fauna from the Xinji Formation and indicates a close palaeogeographic position between the North China Platform and Australian East Gondwana during the early Cambrian.

Dasycladacean alga Palaeodasycladus in the northern Tethys (West Carpathians, Poland) and its new palaeogeographic range during the Early Jurassic

The green alga Palaeodasycladus was recognized in Lower Jurassic shallow-marine high-energy calcarenites of the Choc Nappe (Hronicum Domain) in the Tatra Mts in Poland. This occurrence indicates the most Northern record of Palaeodasycladus as it is known mostly from the southern part of the Western Tethys. The stratigraphic range of Palaeodasycladus (Norian, Sinemurian–Pliensbachian) and the upper Pliensbachian age of the overlying calcarenites (previous data on the basis of brachiopods) suggest that the studied part of the section was deposited during the Sinemurian–early Pliensbachian. The previous and current reports on occurrences of Palaeodasycladus allowed determination of a new northern palaeogeographic range of the shallow-marine Mediterranean biota during the Early Jurassic time.

First occurrence of Palaeotheriidae (Perissodactyla) from the late–middle Eocene of eastern Thrace (Greece)

A detailed assessment of postcranial fossils collected at Balouk Keui (Thrace, Greece) in the mid-19th Century by the naturalist Auguste Viquesnel enabled us to identify the material as pertaining to Palaeotherium sp., cf. P. magnum, which constitutes the easternmost occurrence of the genus during the Eocene. We have constrained the geographic and stratigraphic provenance of the fossil by reassessing information about Viquesnel's itinerary and observations. Although the exact age of the fossil remains uncertain, the occurrence of a palaeothere in the Thrace Basin during the Eocene indicates a wider geographic distribution for the genus, which had previously been restricted to western and central Europe. The palaeothere of Balouk Keui confirms that the palaeogeographic range of this group included the Balkans during the middle–late Eocene. This discovery also shows that at least intermittent land connections between western Europe, Southeast Asia, and perhaps Central Iran facilitated mammalian dispersal during the middle–late Eocene, before the famous Grande Coupure.

The systematics of the Mongolepidida (Chondrichthyes) and the Ordovician origins of the clade.

The Mongolepidida is an Order of putative early chondrichthyan fish, originally erected to unite taxa from the Lower Silurian of Mongolia. The present study reassesses mongolepid systematics through the examination of the developmental, histological and morphological characteristics of scale-based specimens from the Upper Ordovician Harding Sandstone (Colorado, USA) and the Upper Llandovery–Lower Wenlock Yimugantawu (Tarim Basin, China), Xiushan (Guizhou Province, China) and Chargat (north-western Mongolia) Formations. The inclusion of the Mongolepidida within the Class Chondrichthyes is supported on the basis of a suite of scale attributes (areal odontode deposition, linear odontocomplex structure and lack of enamel, cancellous bone and hard-tissue resorption) shared with traditionally recognized chondrichthyans (euchondrichthyans, e.g., ctenacanthiforms). The mongolepid dermal skeleton exhibits a rare type of atubular dentine (lamellin) that is regarded as one of the diagnostic features of the Order within crown gnathostomes. The previously erected Mongolepididae and Shiqianolepidae families are revised, differentiated by scale-base histology and expanded to include the genera Rongolepisand Xinjiangichthys, respectively. A newly described mongolepid species (Solinalepis levis gen. et sp. nov.) from the Ordovician of North America is treated as family incertae sedis, as it possesses a type of basal bone tissue (acellular and vascular) that has yet to be documented in other mongolepids. This study extends the stratigraphic and palaeogeographic range of Mongolepidida and adds further evidence for an early diversification of the Chondrichthyes in the Ordovician Period, 50 million years prior to the first recorded appearance of euchondrichthyan teeth in the Lower Devonian.

North Atlantic climatic events recorded in Aptian Naskapi Member cores, Scotian Basin

Early Aptian black laminated organic mudstones, including the Selli Level, are recognized over large areas of Tethys and western European basins. This interval was investigated in a 75 m-thick continuously cored section of varicoloured shale in the lower Naskapi Member from the Panuke B-90 well in the Scotian Basin, offshore eastern Canada. This study complements the palaeogeographic range of correlatable Selli black shales and provides information on their relationship to sea-level change and palaeoclimate. Total organic carbon (TOC) was measured on 127 discrete samples, chemical environmental proxies (Th/K, Mn/Ti, K/Ti, Th/Ti, V/Ti) were measured with a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer, and colour parameters L*a*b* were measured by spectrophotometer. Several black shale levels are recognized and correlated with similar shales in Europe between the Barremian–Aptian boundary and the Selli Level. The Th/K ratio proxy for hinterland humid or arid climate conditions shows no systematic variation with black shale levels. Several sea-level lowstands are inferred from condensed sandy intervals with some brackish water biota and tidal sedimentary structures. Black shale intervals are found in highstand intervals, with no systematic relationship to inferred transgressions. The formation of black shales is related to palaeoceanographic changes that may be driven by conditions remote from the Scotian Basin.

New occurrence of Cambroclavus absonus from the lowermost Cambrian of North China and its stratigraphical importance

Li, L.-Y., Zhang, X.-L., Yun, H. & Li, G.-X., October 2015. New occurrence of Cambroclavus absonus from the lowermost Cambrian of North China and its stratigraphical importance. Alcheringa 40, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.The problematic Small Shelly Fossil Cambroclavus absonus is described from the Xinji Formation in the Longxian area, which is located near the southwestern margin of the North China Platform. The Xinji Formation, the basal rock unit of the Cambrian in the studied area, yields an assemblage of skeletal fossils that share many common elements with contemporary faunas from South Australia. Sclerites of C. absonus reported herein represent the first occurrence of the species outside Australia, thus extending the palaeogeographic range of the taxon to northern China. To date, palaeogeographic occurrences of Cambroclavus sclerites are restricted to the Peri-Gondwana realm, including South China, Australia, Tarim, Kazakhstan, North China and Western Europe. These occurrences are divided into a Southern Group realm and Northern Group realm. Stratigraphically, Cambroclavus occurs mostly in Cambrian Stage 3 and has three occurrences in Stage 5, separated by Stage 4 in which Cambroclavus has not yet been found. The first appearance datum of Cambroclavus in Cambrian Stage 3 is of importance for regional and inter-regional correlations. In particular, the presence of Cambroclavus absonus in North China allows species-level correlation between North China and South Australia.Luoyang Li [lly@stumail.nwu.edu.cn], Xingliang Zhang [xzhang69@nwu.edu.cn], Hao Yun [yunhao@stumail.nwu.edu.cn], Early Life Institute and State Key Laboratory Of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xian 710069, PR China; Guoxiang Li [gxli@nigpas.ac.cn], Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.

Latisemenia longshania, gen. et sp. nov., a new Late Devonian seed plant from China.

The earliest known ovules in the Late Devonian (Famennian) are borne terminally on fertile branches and are typically enclosed in a cupule. Among these ovules are some that have terete integumentary lobes with little or no fusion. Here, we report a new taxon, Latisemenia longshania, from the Famennian of South China, which bears cupulate ovules that are terminal as well as opposite on the fertile axis. Each ovule has four broad integumentary lobes, which are extensively fused to each other and also to the nucellus. The cupule is uniovulate, and the five flattened cupule segments of each terminal ovule are elongate cuneate and shorter than the ovule. Associated but not attached pinnules are laminate and Sphenopteris-like, with an entire or lobate margin. Latisemenia is the earliest known plant with ovules borne on the side of the fertile axis and may foreshadow the diverse ovule arrangements found among younger seed plant lineages that emerge in the Carboniferous. Following the telome theory, Latisemenia demonstrates derived features in both ovules and cupules, and the shape and fusion of integumentary lobes suggest effective pollination and protection to the nucellus. Along with other recent discoveries from China, Latisemenia extends the palaeogeographic range of the earliest seed plants.

The Tethyan oyster Pycnodonte (Costeina) costei (Coquand, 1869) in the Coniacian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Iberian Basin (Spain): Taxonomic, palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical implications

Abstract Oysters were among the most important groups of marine invertebrates in Late Cretaceous biotas of the Tethyan Realm. During the major eustatic sea-level highstands of this interval, large areas of northern Africa and southern Europe were characterized by carbonate shelf environments with conditions favourable for the widespread dispersal of highly diverse marine ecosystems, which included many ostreid bivalves. In this palaeoecological setting, Pycnodonte (Costeina) costei (Coquand, 1869) is one of the most widespread representatives of the subfamily Pycnodonteinae, extending from Central Asia and Egypt to southern France and the Iberian Peninsula. This taxon is characterised by a strong convex left valve with an expanded posterior flange, suggesting that this species was a free-lying recliner on infralittoral soft substrates. The species is also remarkable due to its morphological plasticity, with ecophenotypes characterised by extremely variable left valve ornamentation. The assemblages of P. (C.) costei studied herein occur in middle to upper Coniacian outer-shelf facies within the northern and central sectors of the Iberian Basin (Spain), associated with transgressive and highstand system tracts. The species occurs mostly in autochthonous concentrations of several tens of individuals, cemented or oriented side by side and colonised by epizoans and borers. Endolithic sponges related to the ichnogenus Entobia were especially abundant, infesting many specimens to a great extent. These new finds in the Iberian Basin also improve the known palaeogeographic range of P. (C.) costei. Its distribution can be related to current circulation along the Tethys Ocean, firstly from its original area in Central Asia to North African shelves and then to the Iberian Basin and France, across the proto-Atlantic Lusitanian area. This dispersal model inferred by these currents also explains much of the Tethyan affinities found in the Late Cretaceous marine faunas of Iberia.

Ruffordia goeppertii (Schizaeales, Anemiaceae) – A common fern from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of northeast Brazil

Extraordinarily well preserved fern macrofossils of Ruffordia goeppertii (Dunker) Seward (Schizaeales, Anemiaceae) are described from the Lower Cretaceous (late Aptian) Nova Olinda Member of the Crato Formation, northeast Brazil. The identification is based on the morphology of macrofossils and in situ spores, taken from organically preserved material. This extinct, relatively small fern exhibits dimorphic fronds with sterile and fertile pinnules and schizaeoid sporangia, including cicatricose spores. The growth form with clearly differentiated sterile and fertile pinnae may be interpreted as an ancestral state in the phylogeny of the extant genus Anemia. The abundance of this fern reflects its role as ground cover in at least partly (dry) sunny areas, possibly in fern savannah-like habitats, with adaptations to survive drought stress. Finds of Ruffordia in northern Gondwana extend the wide palaeogeographic range of this taxon.

X-ray Synchrotron Microtomography of a silicified Jurassic Cheirolepidiaceae (Conifer) cone: histology and morphology of Pararaucaria collinsonae sp. nov.

We document a new species of ovulate cone (Pararaucaria collinsonae) on the basis of silicified fossils from the Late Jurassic Purbeck Limestone Group of southern England (Tithonian Stage: ca. 145 million years). Our description principally relies on the anatomy of the ovuliferous scales, revealed through X-ray synchrotron microtomography (SRXMT) performed at the Diamond Light Source (UK). This study represents the first application of SRXMT to macro-scale silicified plant fossils, and demonstrates the significant advantages of this approach, which can resolve cellular structure over lab-based X-ray computed microtomography (XMT). The method enabled us to characterize tissues and precisely demarcate their boundaries, elucidating organ shape, and thus allowing an accurate assessment of affinities. The cones are broadly spherical (ca. 1.3 cm diameter), and are structured around a central axis with helically arranged bract/scale complexes, each of which bares a single ovule. A three-lobed ovuliferous scale and ovules enclosed within pocket-forming tissue, demonstrate an affinity with Cheirolepidiaceae. Details of vascular sclerenchyma bundles, integument structure, and the number and attachment of the ovules indicate greatest similarity to P. patagonica and P. carrii. This fossil develops our understanding of the dominant tree element of the Purbeck Fossil Forest, providing the first evidence for ovulate cheirolepidiaceous cones in Europe. Alongside recent discoveries in North America, this significantly extends the known palaeogeographic range of Pararaucaria, supporting a mid-palaeolatitudinal distribution in both Gondwana and Laurasia during the Late Jurassic. Palaeoclimatic interpretations derived from contemporaneous floras, climate sensitive sediments, and general circulation climate models indicate that Pararaucaria was a constituent of low diversity floras in semi-arid Mediterranean-type environments.

The Moschidae of Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (Germany)

The locality of Dorn-Durkheim houses the youngest record for the family Moschidae in Europe besides Micromeryx mirus from Kohfidisch (Austria; Vislobokova Paleontol J 41(4):451–460, 2007) and Hispanomeryx sp. from Puente Minero (Spain; Sanchez et al. Palaeontology 53(5):1023–1047, 2010). In describing the moschid material from Dorn-Durkheim, we intend to update the data on the European late Miocene representatives of the family. With a nearly closed anterior valley in p4 and brachy- to mesodont (sensu Damuth and Janis Biol Rev 86(3):733–758, 2011) lower molars, the material of small ruminants from Dorn-Durkheim shows typical features of the Miocene Moschidae that clearly distinguish them from dental remains of similar sized but more brachydont taxa, such as Lagomeryx (Rossner Palaeontogr A 277:103–112, 2006). Dimensionally, both the teeth and the postcranial material fit well within the variability of the genus Micromeryx. Morphologically, the postcranial material clearly differs from that of Hispanomeryx. Therefore, we assign the material from Dorn-Durkheim 1 to Micromeryx sp. A brief review of the biochronologic and palaeogeographic range of the European Miocene Moschidae is given.

Morphology and palaeoecology of a new edrioblastoid (Edrioasteroidea) from the Furongian of China

A new edrioblastoid Cambroblastus guolensis is described from the Furongian (late Cambrian) Sandu Formation (South China). This represents the second occurrence of a Cambrian edrioblastoid, and the first ever reported from Asia, extending the palaeogeographic range of this very rare echinoderm grade. Surprisingly it preserves a complete stem and a distal holdfast suggesting edrioblastoids were hard substrate attachers living in soft bottom quiet environments.

Palaeoecology and palaeoenvironment of the Jurassic Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed, Gulgong, New South Wales, Australia

BEATTIE, R.G. & AVERY, S., December 2012. Palaeoecology and palaeoenvironment of the Jurassic Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed, Gulgong, New South Wales, Australia. Alcheringa 36, 451–465. ISSN 0311-5518. The Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed has produced a significant number and variety of insect fossils, including the orders Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Plecoptera, Odonata, Neuroptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Mecoptera. Hemiptera are the most common insects. Coleoptera are both common and diverse. Both orders include terrestrial and aquatic species. The other insect orders represented are less common. Many of the insect fossils discovered were previously unknown in the Australian region during the Jurassic, and the new records extend their palaeogeographic range into southeastern Gondwana. A recent collection of insects, fish, coprolites, gastropods, bivalves, bark, leaves, fruiting bodies, burrows and other ichnofossils supports a model of a shallow-water-lake palaeoenvironment at the northern end of the deposit, grading to a shoreline palaeoenvironment towards the southern end of the deposit. The existence of a productive lake supporting a large population of fish and a diverse, aquatic/shoreline and terrestrial woodland fringe palaeoecosystem, dominated by insects and woody plants, is demonstrated. There is no evidence of tetrapods. The Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed has similarities to Type A and B Mesozoic lake deposits reported from Transbaikalia. Culicimorph pupae are numerous and may have filled a significant niche near the base of the aquatic palaeoecosystem. Other immature aquatic insects are rare. The generally articulated nature of the fossil insects is interpreted to have resulted from a sudden but low-energy burial event.

Saurichthys and other fossil fishes from the late Smithian (Early Triassic) of Bear Lake County (Idaho, USA), with a discussion of saurichthyid palaeogeography and evolution

A new marine fish assemblage from the late Smithian (Olenekian, Early Triassic) Anasibirites beds of the Thaynes Formation collected near Georgetown (Bear Lake County, south-east Idaho, USA) comprises actinopterygians (Saurichthys cf. elongatus, Actinopterygii indet.), sarcopterygians (Actinistia indet.), and possibly chondrichthyans. We review the global fossil record of the Triassic lower actinopterygian Saurichthys, which is used herein for a case study of trends in morphological adaptations as well as variations in palaeogeographic distribution and diversity dynamics of Early Mesozoic fishes. In the Early Triassic, Saurichthys already occupied a top position in marine food webs, with some species achieving body lengths of up to 1.5 m. Distribution of morphological characters in Saurichthys during the Triassic suggests trends towards a reduction in squamation, stiffening of the fins and axial skeleton, shortening of the postorbital portion of the cranium, and reduction in the number of dermal skull bones. The postcranial adaptations in particular helped to improve the fast-start ability of these ambush predatory fishes. The palaeogeographic range of Saurichthys changed from a virtually global distribution in the Early Triassic (indicating rapid dispersal within marine and freshwater ecosystems after the end-Permian mass extinction) to an occurrence mainly restricted to the north-western Tethys in the Late Triassic, and also towards increasing rarity within continental deposits. Modifications in the palaeogeographic distribution were accompanied by successive loss in global species richness and were possibly related to intra-Triassic extinction events, environmental alterations and/or competition.

Molecular characterisation and interpretation of genetic diversity within globally distributed germplasm collections of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and meadow fescue (F. pratensis Huds.)

Allohexaploid tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. syn. Lolium arundinaceum [Schreb.] Darbysh.) is an agriculturally important grass cultivated for pasture and turf world-wide. Genetic improvement of tall fescue could benefit from the use of non-domesticated germplasm to diversify breeding populations through the incorporation of novel and superior allele content. However, such potential germplasm must first be characterised, as three major morphotypes (Continental, Mediterranean and rhizomatous) with varying degrees of hybrid interfertility are commonly described within this species. As hexaploid tall fescue is also a member of a polyploid species complex that contains tetraploid, octoploid and decaploid taxa, it is also possible that germplasm collections may have inadvertently sampled some of these sub-species. In this study, 1,040 accessions from the publicly available United States Department of Agriculture tall fescue and meadow fescue germplasm collections were investigated. Sequence of the chloroplast genome-located matK gene and the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (rDNA ITS) permitted attribution of accessions to the three previously known morphotypes and also revealed the presence of tall fescue sub-species of varying ploidy levels, as well as other closely related species. The majority of accessions were, however, identified as Continental hexaploid tall fescue. Analysis using 34 simple sequence repeat markers was able to further investigate the level of genetic diversity within each hexaploid tall fescue morphotype group. At least two genetically distinct sub-groups of Continental hexaploid tall fescue were identified which are probably associated with palaeogeographic range expansion of this morphotype. This work has comprehensively characterised a large and complex germplasm collection and has identified genetically diverse accessions which may potentially contribute valuable alleles at agronomic loci for tall fescue cultivar improvement programs.

Symbiotic association of a pyrgomatid barnacle with a coral from a volcanic middle Miocene shoreline (Porto Santo, Madeira Archipelago, Portugal)

Abstract: The bioclaustration of the pyrgomatid barnacle Ceratoconcha aff. costata within the carbonate skeleton of a colonial hermatypical coral (Tarbellastrea reussiana) is described from a middle Miocene basaltic rocky palaeoshore on a small north‐eastern Atlantic islet of Porto Santo (Madeira Archipelago, Portugal). The resulting structure is named as a new trace fossil Imbutichnus igen. nov., characterized by a small, funnel‐like cavity, a circular to oval cross‐section, with a nearly cylindrical shape in the upper part and a conical shape towards the base. Imbutichnus costatum isp. nov. is defined as a bioclaustration structure produced by the overgrowth of a pyrgomatid barnacle by a coral. From an ethologic point of view, Imbutichnus is attributed to the Impedichnia category. In terms of palaeoecology, it is interpreted as the result of a parasitic relationship. This is also the oldest record of pyrgomatid barnacles in the eastern Atlantic and clearly demonstrates that the Miocene palaeogeographic range of Ceratoconcha was much wider than previously assumed.