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Tetrapod footprints of the lower permian choza formation at Castle Peak, Texas

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Kurzfassung

Die Tetrapoden-Fährtenfauna der unterpermischen Choza Formation bei dem Castle Peak in Texas enthält nach erweiterten Belegen und einer Neubearbeitung drei verschiedene Ichnotaxa:Erpetopus willistoni Moodie, 1929,Varanopus curvidaetylus Moodie, 1929 undDromopus palmatus (Moodie, 1929). Es handelt sich um Fährten von Protorothyrididen, Captorhinomorphen und Araeosceliden. Castle Paek ist die Typuslokalität der IchnogeneraErpetopus undVaranopus. Zusammen mit der Tetrapoden-Fährtenfauna der Robledo Mountains Formation in New Mexico ist die Fauna vom Castle Peak das zweite Vorkommen von Fährten im Unteren Perm, welches eindeutig mit der marinen Zeitskala korreliert werden kann. Beide Ichnofaunen bestätigen ein Artinsk-Alter für die meisten unterpermischen Tetrapoden-Fährtenfaunen des Wolfcamp-Leonard in Nordamerika und des Rotliegenden in Europa. Die IchnogeneraBatrachichnus, Limnopus, Amphisauropus, Erpetopus, Varanopus, Dromopus undDimetropus in den Redbeds von euramerischer Verbreitung sind danach charakteristisch für eine Ichnofauna, die nach bisher gegebenen Korrelationen mit marinen Abfolgen nicht jünger als Artinsk ist.

Abstract

The tetrapod track ichnofauna of the Lower Permian Choza Formation at Castle Peak, Texas, consists after augmentation of sample size and revision of three distinet ichnotaxa:Erpetopus willistoni Moodie, 1929,Varanopus curvidaetylus Moodie, 1929 andDromopus palmatus (Moodie, 1929). These are the tracks of protorothyridis, captorhinomorphs and araeoscelids, respectively. Castle Peak is the type locality of the ichnogeneraErpetopus andVaranopus. With the tetrapod ichnofauna of the Robledo Mountains Formation in New Mexico, the Castle Peak ichnofauna is the second Lower Permian track oecurrence that can be clearly correlated to the marine timescale. Both tetrapod ichnofaunas support assigning an age up to Artinskian to most Lower Permian red-bed tetrapod ichnofaunas of the North American Wolfcampian-Leonardian and the European Rotliegendes. The ichnogeneraBatrachichnus, Limnopus, Amphisauropus, Erpetopus, Varanopus, Dromopus andDimetropus characterize an Artinskian red-bed ichnofauna of Euramerican distribution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften, Martin-Luther-Universität, Domstr. 5, D-06108, Halle, Germany

    Hartmut Haubold

  2. New Mexico Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Rd. N.W., 87104, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.

    Spencer G. Lucas

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  1. Hartmut Haubold
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  2. Spencer G. Lucas
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Correspondence to Hartmut Haubold.

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Haubold, H., Lucas, S.G. Tetrapod footprints of the lower permian choza formation at Castle Peak, Texas. Paläontol Z 77, 247–261 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03006940

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