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Trace fossils are important records of the presence and behaviour of
animals in the past, especially in deposits where few body fossils are
preserved. They tend to provide the main palaeobiological record for past
glacial environments and are thus very important for understanding the
ecology of these palaeoenvironments. Two ichnogenera are common from past
glacial environments: Umfolozia and Warvichnium. Both Umfolozia and
Warvichnium are attributed to arthropods, and the former occurs across the
Late Palaeozoic Ice Age (LPIA) and the latter occurs during both the LPIA
and the Quaternary glacial event. Here, we review the stratigraphic
record, ichnotaxonomy, palaeoecology, palaeoenvironments, and likely
tracemakers of these two ichnogenera. In addition to assessing
morphological ichnotaxobases, we use multivariate morphometric analysis
and inferential statistical tests to support our ichnotaxonomic revisions.
The diagnosis of Umfolozia is revised, with the description of a new
ichnospecies, Umfolozia terere isp. nov., and the emendation of the
previously named Umfolozia riojana (formerly Umfolozia longula) nom. rev.
emend. We revised Warvichnium, maintaining the original Warvichnium
ulbrichi, and allocating two morphologies to the ichnogenus Irichnus:
Irichnus saltatorius and I. paripinnatus isp. nov. These trace fossils
record several behaviours, and have implications for palaeoenvironmental
interpretations and the evolution of invertebrate ecosystems. Using
Umfolozia and Warvichnium as case studies, we demonstrate the application
of morphometric analysis in ichnotaxonomy and highlight this as a tool
that may be applied to other trace-fossil groups.
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