Holes in Bones: Ichnotaxonomy of Bone Borings

ABSTRACT

Bone is a substrate for bioerosion at equal rank with xylic and lithic substrates. Accordingly, borings in bone have to be identified in an analogous way to other ichnogenera coined for one type of substrate. In due course, the new ichnogenera Osteichnus n. igen. and Clavichnus n. igen. are established within the new ichnofamily Osteichnidae. Gastrochaenolites and Trypanites are here restricted to lithic substrates, and Asthenopodichnium only occurs in xylic substrates. Only with this approach, ichnotaxobases of trace fossils in bone are identical to those in other hard substrates. Cuniculichnus variabilis n. igen. n. isp. is introduced for variably shaped pits to tunnels bored into bone by beetle (arguably dermestid) larvae; its ethological character is close to a pupichnion.

KEYWORDS:

• Ichnotaxonomy
• bone
• bioerosion
• Cretaceous
• Niger

Acknowledgments

Traudel Fährenkemper meticulously performed the drawings of the specimens. We thank her as well as Radek Mikuláš, Jorge Genise, and an anonymous colleague for their reviews.