First record: Dendroidichnites (D. irregulare) in Late Triassic marginal lacustrine deposits of the Passaic Formation, west-central New Jersey

ABSTRACT

Fine-grained siltstones of the Late Triassic Passaic Formation, near Milford, New Jersey have yielded the first evidence of the trace fossil Dendroidichnites irregulare in the Newark Supergroup of New Jersey. Associated trace fossils include Helminthoidichnites, Scoyenia, Spongeliomorpha, and the reptile footprint Rhynchosauroides, representing the Scoyenia Ichnofacies. Associated sedimentary structures include desiccation cracks, raindrop impressions, cross-bedding, and tool marks. The Passaic sediments were deposited under shallow water lacustrine shoreline conditions subject to periodic subaerial exposure.

KEYWORDS:

• Dendroidichnites
• Late Triassic
• New Jersey
• nonmarine trace fossils
• Passaic Formation

Acknowledgments

I thank Feng Qi (Kean University) for all her technical help. I also thank Nicholas Minter (University of Portsmouth) and Olivia King (Saint Mary’s University) for help in identifying the ichnofossil. I also thank Lorenzo Marchetti (Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, Berlin, Germany) and an anonymous reviewer for constructive suggestions that improved the original manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.