New termite trace fossils: Galleries, nests and fungus combs from the Chad basin of Africa (Upper Miocene–Lower Pliocene)

Autor: Hassan Taisso Mackaye, Patrick Vignaud, Philippe Duringer, Mathieu Schuster, Michel Brunet, Jorge F. Genise
Přispěvatelé: Centre de géochimie de la surface (CGS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Louis Pasteur - Strasbourg I-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de géobiologie, biochronologie et paléontologie humaine (LGBPH), Université de Poitiers-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio [Chubut] (MEF), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Buenos Aires] (CONICET), Departement de Paleontologie, Université de N'Djaména, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Louis Pasteur - Strasbourg I-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)
Rok vydání: 2007
Předmět:
Zdroj: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Elsevier, 2007, 251 (3-4), pp.323-353. ⟨10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.03.029⟩
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Elsevier, 2007, 251, pp.323-353. ⟨10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.03.029⟩
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Elsevier, 2007, 251, pp.323-353
ISSN: 0031-0182
DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.03.029
Popis: Four new trace fossils of termites are described from the Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene continental sandstones of the northern Chad basin. Coatonichnus globosus, ichnogenus and ichnospecies nov. is a large ellipsoidal termite calie (20?40 cm in diameter) more or less flattened at both poles. It is morphologically very similar to the nest of extant termite Hodotermes mossambicus from South Africa. It exhibits an internal shelved pattern of modern Hodotermitidae such as the superposition of flat chambers separated vertically by ramps, columns, walls, and pillars. It is interpreted as the nest of an ancestral species of Hodotermes (Hodotermitidae).The new ichnospecies Vondrichnus planoglobus is composed of dense swarms of tens of chambers connected by a net of straight galleries developed in a single plane. The chambers (5?12 cm in diameter) have a spherical shape with a planar base. Generally, short galleries connect each chamber to the straight main tunnel of meter to decameter-scale length. Vondrichnus planoglobus is interpreted as polychambered diffuse nests of fungus-growing termites (Macrotermitinae, Termitidae). Microfavichnus alveolatus, ichnogenus and ichnospecies nov. is a small-scale alveolar mass (3?8 cm by 2?4 cm). The base of the construction is flat to concave. It is entirely composed of a sub-horizontally layered, alveolar-like structure composed of a regular juxtaposition of millimetre-scale round pellets or balls (mylospheres). Microfavichnus alveolatus is interpreted as fossilized fungus combs of ?fungus-growing? termites (Macrotermitinae, Termitidae). Termitichnus schneideri, ichnospecies nov. is a large-scale extremely flattened construction (15?60 cm in diameter and 6?18 cm in height). The internal shelved pattern is composed of flat chambers separated by columns, walls, and pillars. Each level is connected by ramps. An external wall surrounds the framework constructed. One to several peripheral funnel-shaped tunnels occur sub-perpendicular to the construction. This new Termitichnus ichnospecies is interpreted as being a possible central hive of the Vondrichnus planoglobus net. Fil: Duringer, Philippe. Universite Louis Pasteur; Francia Fil: Schuster, Mathieu. Université de Poitiers; Francia Fil: Genise, Jorge Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Mackaye, Hassan T.. Université de N'Djaména; Chad Fil: Vignaud, Patrick. Université de Poitiers; Francia Fil: Brunet, Michel. Université de Poitiers; Francia
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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