Lithographus, an Abundant Arthropod Trackway from the Cretaceous Haenam Tracksite of Korea

Abstract

Trackways ascribed to Lithographus hieroglypichus and attributed to pterygote insects are described from the Cretaceous Uhangri Formation of Korea. The locality is part of the Haenam Tracksite at the Uhangri Dinosaur Museum Complex, which is famous for dinosaur, pterosaur and bird tracks. This represents the first report of the arthropod trackway Lithographus from the Cretaceous of Korea. The trackways are preserved in cherty mudstones that formed in the margins of an alkaline lake in the vicinity of active volcanoes. Numerous trackways are preserved at a single horizon. This probably reflects a brief period of exposure of balanced-fill lake margin sediments, which provided a window of opportunity for the production and preservation of trackways of insects that inhabited the region rather than a sudden influx of insects into the area related to volcanism and a productivity bloom.

Keywords:

• Arthropod
• Continental
• Ichnology
• Insect
• Lake margin
• Trackway

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Funding for NJM was provided through a Government of Canada Postdoctoral Research Fellowship under the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program. Thanks also to Jong-Deock Lim, Natural Heritage Center of Korea, Daejeon, Korea, for help in the field and for permission to mold the trackways described in this paper. The comments of Luis Buatois and Gabriela Mángano and reviews of Spencer Lucas and David Fillmore helped to improve this manuscript.