The first report of terrestrial Petroxestes from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation, western Liaoning, China

Abstract

Abundant aggregated, elongate, shallow borings have been discovered from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in western Liaoning, China. By contrast with several similarly-shaped trace fossils, such as Asthenopodichnium, Teredolites, Rogerella, Cubiculum and Petroxestes, their appearance, size, arranged modes, distribution density and substrate types are most similar with traces of Petroxestes that was discovered from Southern Ohio, USA (J. Paleontol. 62: 306–08, 1988). This is the first report of Petroxestes from China, and also the first report of these traces from a terrestrial environment.