The swimming trace Undichna from the latest Devonian Hangenberg Sandstone equivalent of Morocco

Trace fossils occur in several strata of the Devonian and Carboniferous of the eastern Anti-Atlas, but they are still poorly documented. Here, we describe a fossil swimming trace from strata overlying the Hangenberg Black Shale (correlation largely based on lithostratigraphy; Postclymenia ammonoid g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Swiss journal of palaeontology 2021, Vol.140 (1), p.19-19, Article 19
Main Authors: Klug, Christian, Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed, Jobbins, Melina, Bel Haouz, Wahiba, Najih, Amine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Body size
Carboniferous
Devonian
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Fossils
Ichnofossils
Palaeoecology
Paleontology
Research Article
Romer’s gap
Sandstone
Shale
Swimming
Trace fossils
Undichna
Vertebrata
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Summary:Trace fossils occur in several strata of the Devonian and Carboniferous of the eastern Anti-Atlas, but they are still poorly documented. Here, we describe a fossil swimming trace from strata overlying the Hangenberg Black Shale (correlation largely based on lithostratigraphy; Postclymenia ammonoid genozone, ca. 370 Ma old). We discuss the systematic position of the tracemaker and its body size. This ichnofossil is important for three main reasons: (1) it is considered here to be the first record of Undichna from the Devonian of Gondwana, as far as we know; (2) it is the oldest record of vertebrate trace fossils from Africa; (3) it provides a unique window into the behaviour of Late Devonian fishes for which body-fossils cannot provide direct evidence. Further, we put this discovery into the macroecological context of the palaeoenvironment following the Late Devonian Hangenberg biodiversity crisis.
ISSN:1664-2376
1664-2384
DOI:10.1186/s13358-021-00237-9