EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN)
Vertebrate palaeoichnology often aims at the identification of the trackmaker by associating diagnostic features from the known taxa’s skeletal anatomy with its inferred footprint morphology, but deep penetrative tracks and/or deep, detached undertracks (DDU) are providing conflicting morphological...
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Milano University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |
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| Online Access: | https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/23711 |
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| author | LAURA PIÑUELA JOSÉ CARLOS GARCÍA-RAMOS KAREN MORENO GIUSEPPE LEONARDI OSCAR EUGENIO FINSTERBUSCH-LAGOS |
| author_facet | LAURA PIÑUELA JOSÉ CARLOS GARCÍA-RAMOS KAREN MORENO GIUSEPPE LEONARDI OSCAR EUGENIO FINSTERBUSCH-LAGOS |
| author_sort | LAURA PIÑUELA |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Vertebrate palaeoichnology often aims at the identification of the trackmaker by associating diagnostic features from the known taxa’s skeletal anatomy with its inferred footprint morphology, but deep penetrative tracks and/or deep, detached undertracks (DDU) are providing conflicting morphological/extra-morphological information, bringing into question the initially assumed close anatomical correlation.
Penetrative footprints produced in fluvial-dominated deltaic facies from Upper Jurassic Lastres Formation are very frequent in the coastal cliffs of Asturias (N Spain). Some of them consist of non-avian theropod track casts associated with “ornithopod-like” detached undertracks. Some criteria are suggested to distinguish the latter when such an association does not exist.
Moreover, we describe an exceptional theropod footprint preserved as a sandstone cast along with its respective deep detached sandstone undertrack (DDSU). The specimen records the foot movement through the sediment, entailing striking morphologic changes in outline along four different levels of depth. The uppermost level 1 shows an apparent stegosaur hind track morphology; level 2 resembles an avian-theropod print; level 3 represents the true non-avian theropod pedal morphology of the trackmaker; the lowermost level 4 corresponds to the deep detached sandstone undertrack (DDSU), which could be interpreted as either a track of a graviportal theropod or an ornithopod-like footprint.
In light of this new evidence, it becomes clear that vertebrate ichnotaxonomy should not be based solely on the supposed trackmaker identification. Furthermore, biogeographic and evolutionary studies linked to this core information should be considered unsupported, along with many ichnotaxonomical assignations based on taphonomic processes, such as the case exemplified herein, the Iguanodontipus ichnogenus.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da9a7b3606e74a6f9a9bf9d4f810c839 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0035-6883 2039-4942 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Milano University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |
| spelling | doaj-art-da9a7b3606e74a6f9a9bf9d4f810c8392025-01-08T15:45:22ZengMilano University PressRivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia0035-68832039-49422025-01-01131110.54103/2039-4942/23711EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN) LAURA PIÑUELA0JOSÉ CARLOS GARCÍA-RAMOS1KAREN MORENO2GIUSEPPE LEONARDI3OSCAR EUGENIO FINSTERBUSCH-LAGOS4Museo del Jurásico de Asturias-MUJAMuseo del Jurásico de Asturias-MUJA Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia (Chile)Istituto Cavanis, Dorsoduro 898, 30123 Venezia, Italy and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCMN/IGEO, Departamento de Geologia, 21949-900 Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, BrazilInstituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia (Chile) Vertebrate palaeoichnology often aims at the identification of the trackmaker by associating diagnostic features from the known taxa’s skeletal anatomy with its inferred footprint morphology, but deep penetrative tracks and/or deep, detached undertracks (DDU) are providing conflicting morphological/extra-morphological information, bringing into question the initially assumed close anatomical correlation. Penetrative footprints produced in fluvial-dominated deltaic facies from Upper Jurassic Lastres Formation are very frequent in the coastal cliffs of Asturias (N Spain). Some of them consist of non-avian theropod track casts associated with “ornithopod-like” detached undertracks. Some criteria are suggested to distinguish the latter when such an association does not exist. Moreover, we describe an exceptional theropod footprint preserved as a sandstone cast along with its respective deep detached sandstone undertrack (DDSU). The specimen records the foot movement through the sediment, entailing striking morphologic changes in outline along four different levels of depth. The uppermost level 1 shows an apparent stegosaur hind track morphology; level 2 resembles an avian-theropod print; level 3 represents the true non-avian theropod pedal morphology of the trackmaker; the lowermost level 4 corresponds to the deep detached sandstone undertrack (DDSU), which could be interpreted as either a track of a graviportal theropod or an ornithopod-like footprint. In light of this new evidence, it becomes clear that vertebrate ichnotaxonomy should not be based solely on the supposed trackmaker identification. Furthermore, biogeographic and evolutionary studies linked to this core information should be considered unsupported, along with many ichnotaxonomical assignations based on taphonomic processes, such as the case exemplified herein, the Iguanodontipus ichnogenus. https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/23711theropod footprints; ornithopod-like undertracks; taphonomic processes; pedal kinematics; Kimmeridgian; Iguanodontipus. |
| spellingShingle | LAURA PIÑUELA JOSÉ CARLOS GARCÍA-RAMOS KAREN MORENO GIUSEPPE LEONARDI OSCAR EUGENIO FINSTERBUSCH-LAGOS EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN) Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia theropod footprints; ornithopod-like undertracks; taphonomic processes; pedal kinematics; Kimmeridgian; Iguanodontipus. |
| title | EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN) |
| title_full | EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN) |
| title_fullStr | EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN) |
| title_full_unstemmed | EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN) |
| title_short | EXCEPTIONAL AND STRIKING 3D TRACK-DETACHED UNDERTRACK SPECIMENS FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF ASTURIAS (N SPAIN) |
| title_sort | exceptional and striking 3d track detached undertrack specimens from the upper jurassic of asturias n spain |
| topic | theropod footprints; ornithopod-like undertracks; taphonomic processes; pedal kinematics; Kimmeridgian; Iguanodontipus. |
| url | https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/23711 |
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