Palmichnus lacertoides, 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 : 300-302

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.13510407
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F387F5-163A-7C32-FFBE-F98F8F686066
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Palmichnus lacertoides
status

Treatment

Palmichnus lacertoides ichnosp. nov.

Figs. 13A–C View Fig , 14A–C View Fig , 15A–C View Fig , 16A–D View Fig , 34C View Fig 1 View Fig , 35B, C View Fig .

Palmichnus sp. Ptaszyński 2000b: fig. 4 (upper part of the photograph), specimens described in this paper as Muz. PIG OS−220/33: 5–8 fragmentary trackway.

Holotype: Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 6, 7 right pedal and manual imprints ( Figs. 13A View Fig 1 View Fig , 14A View Fig 1 View Fig , 15A View Fig , 16A View Fig 2 View Fig ).

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

Type horizon: Tumlin beds, Lower Buntsandstein, uppermost Permian.

Derivation of the name: After the similarity of pedal imprints to Rhynchosauroides representatives.

Material.—Muz. PIG OS−220/54: 1–7 four consecutive (partly incomplete) sets of pedal and manual imprints ( Fig. 13B View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/54: 8, 9 isolated set of right pedal and manual imprints ( Fig. 13B View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/54: 10, 11 isolated set of right pedal and manual imprints ( Figs. 13B View Fig , 14B View Fig , 16B View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 1–7 trackway consist of four consecutive sets of pedal and manual imprints ( Figs. 13A View Fig 1 View Fig , 14A View Fig 1 View Fig , A 2 View Fig , A 4 View Fig , 15A View Fig , 16A View Fig 1 View Fig , A 2 View Fig , A 4 View Fig ); the fourth set of them, Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 6, 7 right pedal and manual imprints are designed as the holotype ( Figs. 14A View Fig 1 View Fig , 16A View Fig 2 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 8–14 four (partly incomplete) sets of pedal and manual imprints ( Figs. 13A View Fig 2 View Fig , 14A View Fig 5 View Fig , 15B View Fig , 16A View Fig 5 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 15–20 three sets ( Figs. 15C View Fig , 16A View Fig 3 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 21–25 three sets of pedal and manual imprints ( Fig. 14A View Fig 3 View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 26–31 ( Fig. 35C View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/56: 1–4 and Muz. PIG OS−220/56: 5–7 fragmentary trackways; Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 32, 33 and 34, 35 two consecutive right sets of pedal and manual imprints ( Figs. 13C View Fig , 16C View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/33: 5–8 fragmentary trackway ( Ptaszyński 2000b: fig. 4, upper part of the photograph); Muz. PIG OS−220/29: 2, 3 left and right, isolated pedal imprints ( Figs. 14C View Fig , 16D View Fig ); Muz. PIG OS−220/39: 7–12 three consecutive sets of imprints ( Fig. 34C View Fig 1 View Fig ). Many other isolated imprints occur on slabs Muz. PIG OS−220/54, Muz. PIG OS−220/55, Muz. PIG OS−220/56, Muz. PIG OS−220/57, Muz. PIG OS−220/58, Muz. PIG OS−220/59, Muz. PIG OS−220/60 and Muz. PIG OS−220/72 from the same footprint−bearing surface with mass occurrence of Palmichnus lacertoides ichnosp. nov. Other, isolated or poorly preserved, unnumbered specimens were found on slabs Muz. PIG OS−220/27, Muz. PIG OS−220/28, Muz. PIG OS−220/73 and Muz. PIG OS−220/28.

Diagnosis.—Middle sized Palmichnus with manual imprints strongly inclined towards the midline; manual pace width slightly narrower than pedal width.

Description.—Trackway. In all known trackways manual imprints are situated more or less before pedal ones ( Figs. 13A, B View Fig , 15A–C View Fig , 34C View Fig 1 View Fig ), or almost on the same line (Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 32–35, Figs. 13C View Fig , 16C View Fig ) but have never been observed overstepped by them. The pedal pace width is only somewhat greater than manual one, which causes similar pace angulation angle. The direction of trackway Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 1–7, containing the holotype (Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 6, 7) is slightly turned right ( Figs. 13A View Fig 1 View Fig , 15A View Fig ), therefore pedal pace angulation about 120 and 88° and manual ones about 94°. The same concerns partly other pedal trackway features: stride 275, 230 mm; oblique pace 170, 160, 175 mm; width of pace 97, 80 mm and manual ones: stride 290 mm; oblique pace 170 mm; width of pace 107 mm. In the trackway representing slow gait, Muz. PIG OS−220/55: 8–14 ( Figs. 13A View Fig 2 View Fig , 15B View Fig ) the pedal pace width: 145– 130 mm clearly exceeds manual one: 110 mm. The pedal digit III is inclined somewhat out the midline at –3 to –10°. The inclination of manual axes to the midline attains +25° up to +56°. The precise measurement of its value is impossible because of their strong bend inward the trackway. In sets Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 32, 33, and 34, 35 the inclination of manual digit III does not exceed +8°, but the trackway is only fragmentary ( Figs. 13C View Fig 1 View Fig , 16C View Fig ).

In all measured trackways, pedal stride varies between 170 and 275 mm, oblique pace attains 145 to 180 mm; width of pace 80–145 mm; 88–120°. These respective manual values are 215–290 mm; 150–170 mm; 107–110 mm and 80–103°. The stride/pedal length ratio is about 4.2.

Pes.— Pedal imprints are 55 mm long (holotype) and 44 mm wide. Digit V, in many imprints, is relatively strongly impressed ( Figs. 14A View Fig 1 View Fig , A 4 View Fig , C, 16A View Fig 1 View Fig , A 2 View Fig , A 4 View Fig , C, D 1 View Fig ), is as long as digit III, diverging from digit I at a relatively high angle, about 78–85°. In digit group I– IV, 37 mm long and 35 mm wide, digits I– IV diverge of about 40°; that value of digits II – IV attains 30–35°. Digits I – IV increase in length from I to IV attaining about 18, 22, 29, and 32 mm, respectively. Specimen Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 33 shows the lengths of digits I– IV: 18, 23, 26, 30 mm and the divarication of digits I– IV: 44°. All digits from this group have distinct claw marks. In many of imprints, even completely preserved, the sliding movement of digit tips causes their imprints to be more parallel or elongated than on an ever surface ( Fig. 14A View Fig 4 View Fig ) .

Manus.—Manual imprints are the most characteristic of this ichnospecies, 34 mm long and 35 mm wide. The length of digits I–IV increases (in the holotype) from I to IV : 15, 18, 19, 23 mm (respectively), in most cases deformed by the sliding movement. Digit V at 22 mm is as long as digit IV. Divarication of manual digits I–V is very high, ranging from 135 to 155°, much more than in other ichnospecies found at Tumlin Gród ( Figs. 14A, B View Fig , 16A View Fig 1 –A View Fig 3 View Fig , A 5 View Fig , B, C). This feature in clearly impressed specimen Muz. PIG OS−220/27: 35 equals 125°. This imprint shows digit lengths increasing from I to V: 11, 14, 16, and 19 mm, and divarications I–IV: 65°; I–V: 127°; II–IV: 35°.

Discussion.— Palmichnus lacertoides ichnosp. nov. differs distinctly in size from P. renisus by having a smaller manual pace width than pedal width and a strong inclination of manual axis to the midline. Other, smaller ichnospecies, Palmichnus tambachensis was recognised by Haubold (1998) as a synonym of Varanopus microdactylus .

Poorly preserved, incomplete specimens or those deformed by the sliding movement resemble Chelichnus ( Fig. 35B View Fig ; Muz. PIG OS−220/33: 5–8 fragmentary trackway; Ptaszyński 2000b: fig. 4, upper part of the photograph) or Anhomoiichnium ( Fig. 35C View Fig ) imprints. It is possible, that a part of materials from other localities described erroneously as Chelichnus may represent Palmichnus trackways.