Sphingopus
Encyclopedia
Sphingopus is an ichnogenus
of dinosauriform footprints found in sediments dating to 250 and 228 Ma. The exact species
which created Sphingopus tracks have not been identified.
, France
. More recently, older tracks attributed to this form dating 246250 million years have been discovered in the Holy Cross Mountains in Poland
.
Ichnotaxon
An ichnotaxon is defined by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature as "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", that is, the non-human equivalent of an artifact. Ichnotaxa are names used to identify and distinguish morphologically distinctive ichnofossils, more commonly...
of dinosauriform footprints found in sediments dating to 250 and 228 Ma. The exact species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
which created Sphingopus tracks have not been identified.
Specimens
Sphingopus type footprints are known from two locations. Fossils dating 228245 million years have been recovered from what appears to have been a lagoon in the Grès d'Antully Formation in Saône-et-LoireSaône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. More recently, older tracks attributed to this form dating 246250 million years have been discovered in the Holy Cross Mountains in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.