New dinosaur ichnotaxa from the Early Jurassic of the Holy. Cross Mountains, Poland. Gerard Gierlifiski. Ul. Jasielska 38/42 m.89, 02-128 Warsaw, Poland.
Palaeogeography. Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 85 (1991): 137-148
137
Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam
New dinosaur ichnotaxa from the Early Jurassic of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland G e r a r d Gierlifiski
Ul. Jasielska 38/42 m.89, 02-128 Warsaw,Poland (Received September 15, 1988; revised and accepted October 25, 1990) ABSTRACT Gierlifiski, G., 1991. New dinosaur ichnotaxa from the Early Jurassic of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., 85: 137-148. The numerous ornithopod tracks discovered during the last four years, in the Holy Cross Mts., allow the identification of two new ichnospecies--Anomoepuspienkovskii ichnosp, nov. and Moyenisauropuskaraszevskiiichnosp, nov. The moyenisauropodid structure indicates that the trackmakers may well have been hitherto unknown forms of the earliest iguanodontids. Newly discovered theropod footprints, Grallator (Grallator)zvierzi ichnosp, nov. and Grallator (Eubrontes) soltykovensis ichnosp, nov., supplement knowledge of the Early Jurassic terrestial fauna of Poland. The majority of the tracks occurring in the Gliniany Las exposure (Upper Hettangian) were left by dinosaurs which occupied the margins of a lagoonal environment. The other footprints, discovered in the Sottyk6w (Lower Hettangian) outcrop, were left by carnosaurs walking across the fluvial plain.
Introduction All the Polish dinosaur footprints were discovered on the northern slope of the Holy Cross Mts. These tracks have been found in the Gliniany Las and Zapni6w exposures of the Przysucha Orebearing Series (Upper Hettangian) and in the Sottyk6w outcrop of the Zagaje Series (Lower Hettangian). The first two footprints were found by Karaszewski in the Gliniany Las quarry, in 1959. He proceeded to describe them respectively as "tetradactyl track" (Karaszewski, 1969) and as Neochirotherium jurassicum (Karaszewski, 1975). Later, these specimens, and other similar footprints collected in 1983-1984, were identified as Moyenisauropus sp. (Gierlifiski and Potemska, 1987). The discovery of two new tracksites at Sottyk6w and Zapni6w (Piefikowski and Gierlifiski, 1987), and the numerous new specimens collected since 1986, have supplemented our knowledge of Hettangian dinosaurs in the Holy Cross Mountains area of Poland. 0031-0182/91/$03.50
In 1986, Anomoepus sp. was found in the uppermost part of the Sottyk6w outcrop (Pieflkowski and Gierlifiski, 1987). Further, Piefikowski and Gierlifiski (1987) described Moyenisauropus sp. from the Zapni6w outcrop. In 1988, Grallator (Eubrontes) soltykovensis ichnosp, nov. was discovered in the lowermost part of the Sottyk6w outcrop. Moreover, the exploration of the Gliniany Las quarry during 1988 and 1989 revealed the theropod footprints Grallator (Eubrontes) sp. (Gierlifiski, 1990) and Grallator (Grallator) zvierzi ichnosp, nov. Newly discovered ornithopod tracks in Gliniany Las allow me to establish two new ichnospecies Anomoepus pienkovskii ichnosp, nov. and Moyenisauropus karaszevskii ichnosp, nov.
lchnosystematic descriptions Suborder THEROPODA Marsh 1881 Ichnofamily GRALLATORIDAE Lull 1904 Ichnogenus Grallator Hitchcock 1858 Subichnogenus Grallator (Grallator) Olsen and Galton 1984
© 1991 - - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
138
Grallator (Grallator) zvierzi nov. sp. (Fig. 1) Holotype: Trackway preserved as a natural cast on one layer and as undertracks on another layer. The specimen preserved as a natural cast is owned by the author and the specimen preserved as a couple of undertracks is lodged in MGIW (Museum of the Geological Institute in Warsaw, Poland), as 1560.11.9. Paratype: Single footprint preserved as a natural cast. Original specimen owned by the author and its plaster cast lodged in MGIW, as 1560.11.13. Type horizon: Przysucha Ore-bearing Series (Upper Hettangian). Type locality: Gliniany Las, Holy Cross Mts., Poland. Etymology: Named in honor of Jadwiga Zwierz, head of the Museum of Geological Institute in Warsaw, who supported my research during the last few years. Diagnosis: Bipedal. Tridactyl pes with digits II-IV impressed. In the trackway, pes directed forward. Ratio of the pes length to pace is 1 : 3. The pes is wider than long by an average of 5%. Digit III is longest. The angle between digits II and IV varies from 18° to 37 °. Description: The paratype differs from the holotype by having the third digit relatively shorter in comparison to the lateral digits and by having angles beween the digits about twice as large. Other specimens, not described here (1560.II.14), 1560.11.15, 1560.11.16, in MGIW), demonstrate transitional features between the holotype and paratype; therefore, the length of digit II is 48-62% of the length of digit III, while the length of digit IV is 57-84% of that of digit III. The angles between the digit axes are: I I - I I I = 10-20 °, I l l - I V = 7 - 1 7 °. The pes length varies from 9 cm to 12.6 cm. Comparison: Among the smaller grallatorids with comparably divaricate digits, the most similar ichnites are: Grallator (Grallator) cuneatus and G. (G.) tenuis Hitchcock 1858; Grallator (Grallator) gracilis Hitchcock 1865; Grallator (Grallator) eloensis and G. (G.) variabilis Lapparent and Montenat 1967; several footprints from Lesotho reassigned to Grallator (Grallator) by Olsen and Galton (1984); Grallator (Grallator) sp. Conrad,
G. GIERLINSKI
Lockley and Prince 1987; Grallator (Grallator) ssatoi Zhen, Li, Rao, Mateer and Lockley 1989; Grallator sp. Hunt, Lucas and Kietzke 1989. However, Grallator (Grallator) zvierzi ichnosp, nov. is broader than long, whereas the ichnites mentioned above are always longer than broad. Discussion: Olsen and Galton (1984) considered the names Eubrontes and Anchisauripus as synonymous with Grallator. They used the subichnogeneric designations to denote grallatorid tracks in the size categories. Consequently, the size and morphology of those footprints assigns them to the subichnogenus Grallator ( Grallator). Subichnogenus Grallator (Eubrontes) Olsen and Galton 1984
Grallator (Eubrontes) soltykovensis nov. sp. (Fig.2) Holotype: Single footprint preserved as a natural cast. Original specimen owned by the author and its piaster cast lodged in MGIW, as 1560.11.12. Paratype: Single footprint preserved as a natural cast. Original specimen owned by the author and its plaster cast lodged in MGIW, as 1560.11.10. Type horizon: Zagaje Series (Lower Hettangian). Type locality: Sottykrw, Holy Cross Mts., Poland. Etymology: Named after the type locality, Sottyk6w. Diagnosis: Bipedal. Tridactyl large pes with digits II-IV impressed. Metatarsal-phalangeal pads of digits III and IV made an isolated oblong posterior impression. The third digit is longest. The angle between digits II and IV varies from 50 ° to 60 °. The angle between digits IV and III is always larger than that one between digits III and II. Description: The length of holotype is 22.5cm, whereas the paratype is 28 cm long. Moreover, the paratype has a larger angle between digits III and IV and a smaller angle between digits II and III than in the holotype. The paratype is very deeply impressed, inclined forward and sideward by 6°, opposite to shallow and equally impressed holotype. The paratype's digits are thickly impressed and the third digit is curved; most probably, this was caused by a non-taxonomic factor, probably resulting from the trackmaker's mode of locomotion and the nature of the sediment.
139
N E W D I N O S A U R I C H N O T A X A F R O M T H E EARLY J U R A S S I C O F T H E HOLY C R O S S M O U N T A I N S , P O L A N D
~." ,v
."~:~.
':,
,
~:-:!~ .,~,.,~t~-~. ..." ;:"~
I'.,::."::.~.~ .....
"z. :".('. ""-':.':-.
".".,.,.~'v'.: ", ~ "'.."':"~.. :
°~o.
, •
.
:
a
10 cm I
I
:i;.......':!'~i!:~'~ ;~]'.. • ...~
~:i~~
~v~,,~ ~: ,
C".
....:......
":~
i~-:., :.,.
"." ".':'~'~ ,
".:.
.~..
_ •
"" ;" ""'
. ::'.
"-~
...~....~-~;.!.....,"~...,"..'.......'~
b
Fig. 1. Grallator (Grallator) zvierzi ichnosp, nov., natural casts from Gliniany Las (Upper Hettangian). a. Trackway designated as holotype, b. Paratype.
140
G. GIERLINSKI
~-:,-.. ;,~.
"~::'P"
.:~,
. :;I
.~ '" " ~
~":'..~
~ 4." ~,
'.:...'~~,~. L- :~.~ x4
