Rhynchosauroides kuletae, Ptaszyński & Niedźwiedzki, 2004

Ptaszyński, Tadeusz & Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz, 2004, Late Permian vertebrate tracks from the Tumlin Sandstone, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 49 (2), pp. 289-320 : 297-300

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.13510407
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F387F5-1639-7C34-FFBE-FBDB8B926107
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Rhynchosauroides kuletae
status

Treatment

Rhynchosauroides kuletae ichnosp. nov.

Figs. 9A–C View Fig , 10A–D View Fig , 11A, B View Fig , 12A–D View Fig .

Rhynchosauroides cf. pallinii Conti et al., 1977 ; Ptaszyński 2000b: fig. 2, trackway described in this paper as Muz. PIG OS−220/26: 1–5.

Holotype. Set of left pedal and manual imprints Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 11, 12 ( Figs. 9A View Fig 1 View Fig , 10 A View Fig 1 View Fig , 11A View Fig 1 View Fig , 12A View Fig 1 View Fig ).

Type locality: Tumlin Gród quarry, 11 km NW of Kielce, Holy Cross Mts., Poland.

Other localities: Sosnowica Hill quarry, 8 km N of Kielce, Holy Cross Mts., Poland.

Type horizon: Tumlin beds, Lower Buntsandstein, uppermost Permian. Derivation of the name: In honour of Maria Kuleta, researcher and expert of the Holy Cross Mountains Buntsandstein lithostratigraphy and sedimentary environment.

Material.—Tumlin Gród quarry: Muz. PIG OS−220/26: 1–5 trackway consist of two sets and the next consecutive manual imprint; Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 1–14 seven sets of imprints ( Figs. 9A View Fig 1 View Fig , 10A View Fig 1 View Fig , A 2 View Fig , 11A View Fig 1 View Fig , 12A View Fig 1 View Fig ), among them the fifth, left set of pedal and manual imprints (Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 11, 12 is designated as the holotype); Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 15–31 nine consecutive sets of imprints ( Figs. 9A View Fig 2 View Fig , 10A View Fig 3 View Fig , A 4 View Fig , 11A View Fig 2 View Fig , 12A View Fig 3 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 119–136 nine consecutive sets of imprints; Muz. PIG OS−220/28: 1–11 six consecutive sets of imprints, the second represented only by manual imprint ( Figs. 9B View Fig , 10C View Fig , 11B View Fig , 12B View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/29: 1 isolated left pedal imprint; Muz. PIG OS−220/73: 1–26 eleven consecutive sets of pedal and manual imprints ( Figs. 9C View Fig , 12C View Fig 2 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/73: 27–31 three consecutive sets of pedal and manual imprints; Muz. PIG OS−220/73: 88, 89 set of right pedal and manual imprints, the largest specimen accounted to this ichnospecies ( Figs. 10B View Fig , 12C View Fig 1 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/73: 33–38 three consecutive sets of imprints; Muz. PIG OS−220/73: 39–41 right pedal imprint and the next (left) set of imprints; Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 76, 77 isolated set of right pedal and manual imprints ( Fig. 12A View Fig 2 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 84, 85 isolated set of imprints; Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 78, 79 isolated set of imprints. Sosnowica Hill quarry: Muz. PIG OS−220/1 set of right pedal and manual imprints; Muz. PIG OS−220/6: 1, 2 set of left pedal and manual imprints ( Figs. 10D View Fig , 12D View Fig ).

Diagnosis.—Large Rhynchosauroides with a total pedal length of about 60 mm. Pedal pace angulation ranges from about 100° up to 111–116°. Both pedal and manual digit V is relatively long and distinct. The pedal axis diverges from the midline at –4°, while manual one is inclined to the midline at about +23°. Divarication of manual digits I– V about 90°. The stride/pedal length ratio attains 7.2.

Description.—Trackway. Trackway features typical of the ichnogenus Rhynchosauroides . The relative position of manus and pes in the same set varies in known trackways. Pedal imprints may distinctly overstep manual ones (Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 15–31); both may be on the same line (Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 1–14, Figs. 9A View Fig 1 View Fig , 11A View Fig 1 View Fig ) or manual imprints may be situated before pedal ones (Muz. PIG OS−220/28: 1–11, Figs. 9B View Fig , 11B View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/73: 1–26, Fig. 9C View Fig ). Pedal axes diverge slightly from the midline at about –4° on average; the average inclination to the midline of manual axes is +23°. The length of stride ranges from 340 mm up to 447 mm. In all known trackways pedal and manual pace angulation attain 100–116° and 117–153°, respectively. The stride/pedal length ratio is high, up to 7.2.

Pes.— The length of pedal imprints is about 60 mm. The largest known specimen shows a pes length of about 65 mm (Muz. PIG OS−220/73: 88, 89, Figs. 10B View Fig , 12C View Fig 1 View Fig ). There are specimens from Sosnowica Hill quarry (Muz. PIG OS−220/1: 1, 2 and Muz. PIG OS−220/6: 1, 2; Figs. 10D View Fig , 12D View Fig ) with pedal imprints only 40 mm long. The digit group I– IV is relatively short and wide, with typical digit length ratios of Rhynchosauroides , I< II < III < IV: 23, 29, 32, and 34 mm in the holotype. Divarications of digits II – IV and I– IV are 22 and 33° on average, respectively. The digit V, distinctly visible in most of known specimens ( Figs. 10A, B, D View Fig , 12A, B, C View Fig 1 View Fig , D), as long as digit III or IV, diverges from digit I at about 64°. Deep imprints show its whole shape, as like as the whole pedal imprint; in some shallower imprints only a proximal, rounded pad and the distal part of the digit, with a distinct, big claw mark is visible ( Figs. 10A View Fig 1 View Fig , A 2 View Fig , A 4 View Fig , 12A View Fig 1 –A View Fig 3 View Fig ) .

Manus.—Manual imprints are relatively large ( Figs. 10A View Fig 1 View Fig , B, C, 12A View Fig 1 View Fig , A 2 View Fig , B, C 1 View Fig ). Digits I– IV increase in length from I to IV: 14, 21, 24, 28 mm in the holotype. The digit group I– IV is 32.4 mm long by 34.1 mm wide, on average. Digit V is as long as digit III, diverge from digit I at 75–90°; this value does not exceed the right angle. All digits have claw marks. Discussion.— Rhynchosauroides kuletae ichnosp. nov. shows similarity to Rhynchosauroides pallinii Conti et al., 1977 , and is also of the same size. Rhynchosauroides kuletae ichnosp. nov. however differs from the latter as it has higher pace angulation and a relatively bigger digit V, both in pedal and manual imprints. Its manual digit V diverges from the digit IV at smaller angle, being perpendicular not to the digit IV as in R. pallinii , but to digit I.

Ichnogenus Palmichnus Schmidt, 1959 Remarks.—Medium−sized Rhynchosauroidae representatives. The manual pace width is close to the pedal one. Pace angulation about 90° or more. Manual imprints situated before those of pes or on the same line. The pedal digit V is as long as digit III. In both pedal and manual imprints digits diverge at high angles; that of digits I–V attains 90° in pedal imprints and much more in those of manus. Stride/pedal length ratio is relatively low, and does not exceed 5. Except for Palmichnus tambachensis Haubold, 1970 considered (Haubold 1998) as synonym of Varanopus microdactylus , there are only two known ichnospecies representing this ichnogenus: Palmichnus renisus Schmidt, 1959 and Palmichnus lacertoides ichnosp. nov.