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Une nouvelle ichnoespèce Coelurosaurichnus grancieri du Trias supérieur de l'Ardèche, France

Louis COUREL & Georges R. DEMATHIEU

fr Geodiversitas 22 (1) - Pages 35-46

Published on 30 March 2000

Coelurausaurichnus grancieri, a new ichnospecies from the Upper Triassic of Ardèche, France.

An association of more than 30 dinosaur footprints and four hand-foot tracks was collected from Triassic sandstones on the eastern border of the Massif central (Payzac, Ardèche, France). Vertebrate footprints and tracks from the Upper Triassic (Rhaethian excluded) of France are described in detail for the first time. The level containing the prints is fitted into regional stratigraphy and dated to early Carnian on the evidence of palynological assemblages at the base and top of the foot-print levels in the study area.Statistical analysis indicates that all the prints belong to a single new tridactyl ichnospecies Coelurosaurichnus grancieri. Prints and tracks are characteristic of small dinosaurs of the theropod group. Trunk length of the animal was about 75 cm and the anterior autopod did not generally leave an imprint on the deposition surface.


Keywords:

Ichnology, quantitative study, stratigraphy, Upper Triassic, Ardèche, France, dinosaurs, occasional quadrupeds, Coelurausaurichnus grancieri ichnospecies nov

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