Last update of this page: 19. May 2016

Arenicolites SALTER, 1857

Type ichnospecies:
Arenicoltes carbonarius (BINNEY, 1852): p. 192; =Arenicola carbonaria BINNEY, 1852 (p. 192); subsequent designation by RICHTER, 1924: p. 137.

Diagnosis:
U-tubes without spreite, mainly vertical or rarely oblique to sediment surface with two apertures above (emend. after FÜRSICH, 1974: p. 5 and RINDSBERG & KOPASKA-MERKEL, 2005: p. 129). Cross section, circular.

Derivation of name:
Abcdef.

Remarks:
SALTER (1857) did not name a typespecies for this ichnogenus. RICHTER (1924) named Arenicola carbonaria BINNEY, 1852 per subsequent designation as the typeichnospecies, but BATHER (1925) rejected this view and named Arenicolites didymus SALTER, 1857 (Details see HÄNTZSCHEL, 1975: p. W38). HÄNTZSCHEL (1975) noted that several ichnospecies assigned to Arenicolites  should not be placed in this ichnogenus: A. didymus SALTER, 1857 seemed to be a “Rusophycus”-type resting trace but turned out to be a structure related to microbial mats (see CALLOW et al., 2011); until revision of the ichnogenus RICHTER’s choice of the typeichnospecies has to be pertained although the ichnospecies lacks typematerial. A. spiralis TORELL, 1868 is the typeichnospecies of Spiroscolex TORELL, 1870. A. lunaeformis KOLESCH, 1921, A zimmermanni KOLESCH, 1921, A. statheri BATHER, 1925 and A.? lymensis BIGOT, 1941 are all U-shaped burrows with a spreite and therefore rather belong to Diplocraterion TORELL, 1870 or Corophioides SMITH, 1893. CALLOW et al. (2011) showed that not only the holotype of A. didymus SALTER, 1857 but also the holotype of A. sparsus SALTER, 1857 in fact are not trace fossils but must rather be regarded as structures related to microbial mats.

Environment:
Typically shallow-marine but it also non-marine (e.g. BROMLEY & AASGARD, 1979) and deep-marine (e.g. CRIMES et al., 1977, 1981; PICKERILL & KEPPIE, 1981; SAVDRA et al., 1984; EDWARDS, 1985).

Known Stratigraphic Range:
Early Cambrian (NARBONNE et al., 1987) – Holocene (CHAMBERLAIN, 1978); Vendian occurrences are problematic, mainly because of their poor preservation (cf. FILLION & PICKERILL, 1990, cf. NARBONNE & MYROW, 1988).

Known ichnospecies:

• Arenicolites carbonarius (BINNEY, 1852)
• Arenicolites helixus XXX
• Arenicolites longistriatus RINDSBERG & KOPASKA-MERKEL, 2005
• Arenicolites sparsus SALTER, 1857
• Arenicolites tenuis XXX
• Arenicolites variabilis FÜRSICH, 1974

Detailed information for each ichnospecies

• Arenicolites carbonarius BINNEY, 1852
• Synonymy:
  

  *	1852	Arenicola carbonaria	- BINNEY, Pl. 1 Fig.2.
  	1970	Arenicolites carbonarius	- HARDY, p. 193; Figs. 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.5, 1.7.
  	1985	Arenicolites carbonarius	- EAGAR et al., pp. 136-137; Pl. 13A, B, E, F.

• Diagnosis: The U-shaped burrows are cylindrical and smooth walled with appertures expanded into funnels. Two or more U-tubes may join in one limb of the burrow. The burrows lie in one plane perpendicular to the bedding (HARDY, 1970: p. 193).
• Orientation/preservation: As full relief endichnia, vertical or slightly oblique to bedding planes. Passive fill often identical with surrounding matrix.
• Morphological category (KNAUST, 2012): Burrow, vertical, unbranched, with and without lining/mantle.
• Ethological category: Domichnion of a suspension-feeding polychaete (FÜRSICH 1974c).
• Environment: Deltas (EAGAR et al., 1985).
• Derivation of name: Abc.
• Types: Holotype: housing institution unknown; Manchester University (Great Britain/United Kingdom). Neotypes  Inventary-No.: SF.
• Type locality: Holotype: from the railway tunnel at Upholland, Lancashire (Great Britain/United Kingdom); Neotypes: from Bradshaw near Bolton, Lancashire (Great Britain/United Kingdom).
• Type horizon: Holotype: Old Lawrence Rock, Lower Coal-Measures, Upper Carboniferous; Neotypes: Crutchman Sandstone, Lower Coal-Measures, Upper Carboniferous.
• Geographical distribution: Probably worldwide.
• Remarks: Rarely radial feeding grooves around the funnels are visible. The passive filling of the burrow may rarely show retrusive cone-in-cone structures, resulting from the adjustments of the funnel-shaped entrances to aggrading sediment surfaces (POLLARD, 1999). A spreite-like appearance might be generated in burrows that are inhabited for a long time, when the new limb for extensions is touching or overlapping with the previous one (HARDY, 1970).

• Arenicolites longistriatus RINDSBERG & KOPASKA-MERKEL, 2005
• Synonymy:
  

  *

  2005

  Arenicolites longistriatus

  - RINDSBERG & KOPASKA-MERKEL, p.129 Figs. 2, 3, 5.

• Diagnosis: Unbranched, subhorizontal U-shaped burrows with parallel longitudinal striae all of approximately even depth (RINDSBERG & KOPASKA-MERKEL, 2005: p. 130; marked as “description”, but should have been labeled “diagnosis”).
• Orientation/preservation: As full relief endichnia within laminated shale and exposed on laminar surfaces as hypichnia and epichnia at the type locality, vertical to bedding planes (RINDSBERG & KOPASKA-MERKEL, 2005). Passive fill often identical with surrounding matrix.
• Morphological category (KNAUST, 2012): Burrow, vertical, unbranched, with and without lining/mantle.
• Ethological category: Domichnion.
• Environment: Fresh-water tidal-flats.
• Derivation of name: Longus (Lat.) = long; striatus (Lat.) = furrowed, striate.
• Types: Geological Survey of Alabama (Paleontological Collection), U.S.A.; Holotype Inventary-No.: UCM 2038.
• Type locality: Steven C. Minkin Paleozoic Footprint Site near Carbon Hill, Walker County, Alabama; United States of America.
• Type horizon: Cincosaurus beds, Lower Pennsylvanian.
• Geographical distribution: Abc.
• Remarks: Abc.

• Arenicolites sparsus SALTER, 1857
• Synonymy:
  

  ?	1969	Körperabdrüucke von  Crustaceen	- JANICKE, p. 164; Pl. 9 Fig. 1.
  	1999	Hörnergrabgänge	- RÖPER et al., p. 16; Fig. 11, Fig. 12.
  *	2006	Tripartichnus triassicus	- VALLON & RÖPER, p.157; Fig. 2; Fig. 3.

• Diagnosis: Abc (CCC, 2006: pp. - ).
• Orientation/preservation: As full relief endichnia, vertical or slightly oblique to bedding planes. Passive fill often identical with surrounding matrix.
• Morphological category (KNAUST, 2012): Burrow, vertical, unbranched, with and without lining/mantle.
• Ethological category: Domichnion.
• Environment: Abc.
• Derivation of name: Abc.
• Types: Bürgermeister-Müller-Museum Solnhofen, Germany; Holotype Inventary-No.: BMMS 537; Paratypes: Inventary-No.: BMMS 701 to BMMS 703.
• Type locality: Abc.
• Type horizon: Abc.
• Geographical distribution: Abc.
• Remarks: Abc.

• Arenicolites variabilis FÜRSICH, 1974
• Synonymy:
  

  *

  1974

  Arenicolites variabilis

  - FÜRSICH, p. 5; Figs. 4, 5b, 5c.

• Diagnosis: Variable, narrow or wide, vertical or slightly oblique, mainly straight circular U-tubes without spreite; floor deposits occur (FÜRSICH, 1974: p. 5).
• Orientation/preservation: As full relief endichnia, vertical or slightly oblique to bedding planes. Passive fill often identical with surrounding matrix.
• Morphological category (KNAUST, 2012): Burrow, vertical, unbranched, with and without lining/mantle.
• Ethological category: Domichnion.
• Environment: Mainly marginal marine, mainly in high energetic ooliths and oolithic limestones.
• Derivation of name: Variabilis (Lat.) = variable.
• Types: Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart(?), Germany; Holotype Inventary-No.: SMNS XXXX [not found during search in Nov. 2016; FÜRSICH (person. comm. 2016) suggested to search also in the collections of Tübingen or Munich, both institutions could not locate it either.
• Type locality: Bran Point, Dorset; United Kingdom.
• Type horizon: Osmington Oolite Group, Middle Oxfordian, Upper Jurassic.
• Geographical distribution: Dorset coast.
• Remarks: The tubes may deviate from the vertical up to 35° and occasionally exhibit a U-turn (see schematical sketch c); the tube diameter varies between 0.7 and 1.0 cm, and the distance between both shafts between 2.3 and 10 cm; the maximal depth was measured with 34 cm (FÜRSICH, 1974; p. 7). The two shafts (and if exising, also the U-turn) commonly are not lying in a plane, but are rather twisted in comparison to each other (cf. FÜRSICH, 1974; p. 7). The U-turn often displays a retrusive spreite. Cross-overs between different individuals is common. At the described localities, a burrow lining is usualy present and consists of dark calcareous clay, sometimes with ooliths arrenged parallel to the tube wall (see schematical sketch g) indication for wall stabilisation made by the tracemaker). Usually, passively filled, but in a few specimens a meniscus-like filling was observed, but regarded as postmortal mechanical (= passive) filling (FÜRSICH, 1974; p. 7).

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