The Stellate Burrow: A Large and Complex Trace Fossil in Holocene Carbonate Eolianites of the Bahamas

Large, complex burrows, informally referred to as stellate burrows, are present in eolianites of windward sea-cliff exposures facing Exuma Sound on Moriah Harbour Cay (Exumas, Bahamas). These cliffs consist of limestones (age 1 m. Other examples exhibit an irregular arrangement of shafts that merge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ichnos (Chur, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2016-01, Vol.23 (1-2), p.126-137
Main Authors: Curran, H. Allen, Savarese, Michael, Glumac, Bosiljka
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arthropods
Bahamas
Carbonates
Decapoda
Eolianites
Holocene
Ichnofabric
Ichnology
Ocypode quadrata
Psilonichnus
Trace fossils
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Summary:Large, complex burrows, informally referred to as stellate burrows, are present in eolianites of windward sea-cliff exposures facing Exuma Sound on Moriah Harbour Cay (Exumas, Bahamas). These cliffs consist of limestones (age 1 m. Other examples exhibit an irregular arrangement of shafts that merge to form exceptionally large and architecturally complex structures. The result is a distinctive ichnofabric reaching levels of 3 or more on the Droser-Bottjer Ichnofabric Index scale. The presence of abundant stellate burrows can result in a significant increase in porosity and permeability within host eolianites. Previously, stellate burrows were assigned to the ichnogenus Cellicalichnus, with origin attributed to burrowing and brooding activity of halictid (sweat) bees, common today in the Bahamas. Nonetheless, diagnostic cell structures are not present, and there are other important differences between stellate burrows and the previously described ichnospecies of Cellicalichnus. Other tracemaker possibilities are considered and evaluated, but firm identification of the tracemaker for the stellate burrows remains to be resolved.
ISSN:1042-0940
1563-5236
DOI:10.1080/10420940.2015.1132212