Haenamichnus
| Haenamichnus Temporal range: Campanian
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|---|---|
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| The probable azhdarchid trace fossil Haenamichnus uhangriensis | |
Trace fossil classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Azhdarchidae |
| Ichnofamily: | †Agadirichnidae |
| Ichnogenus: | †Haenamichnus Hwang et al., 2002 |
| Type ichnospecies | |
| †Haenamichnus uhangriensis Hwang et al., 2002
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Haenamichnus is an ichnogenus of probable azhdarchid pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of South Korea.
Discovery and naming
[edit]In 2002, paleontologists Koo-Geun Hwang, Min Huh, Martin Lockley, David Unwin and Joanna Wright named the type ichnospecies Haenamichnus uhangriensis, based on fossil tracks they found in the Uhangri Formation of South Korea. The ichnogeneric name means 'trace of Haenam County', while the ichnospecific name is in reference to the Uhangri Formation.[1] The age of the Uhangri Formation is estimated around 81-79 million years ago during the Campanian stage.[2] Some Campanian azhdarchid tracks found in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Mexico and the Wapiti Formation of Canada might belong to this ichnogenus.[3][4]
Formerly assigned ichnospecies
[edit]A putative second ichnospecies, H. gainensis, was reported from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Haman Formation, but this ichnotaxon is now reassigned to as the archosaur trace fossil Batrachopus cf. grandis, made by either a bipedal crocodylomorph or therizinosaur.[5][6]
Classification
[edit]The trackmaker of Haenamichnus is probably a large azhdarchid pterosaur, likely reaching 10 m (33 ft) in wingspan, 3 m (9.8 ft) in height and 145 kg (320 lb) in body mass, more than ten times heavier than the Kori bustard.[7][8] Azhdarchids are the only group of pterosaurs to which trackways have been assigned, including Haenamichnus which matches this group in shape, age, and size. One long trackway of this kind shows that azhdarchids walked with their limbs held directly underneath their body, and along with the morphology of their feet indicates they were more proficient on the ground than other pterosaurs. According to Witton, their proportions indicate they were not good swimmers on the other hand, and though they could probably launch from water, they were not as good at this as some other pterosaur groups.[9]
Haenamichnus was initially classified within the ichnofamily Pteraichnidae,[1] but Masrour et al. (2018) included both Agadirichnus and Haenamichnus within their newly proposed ichnofamily, Agadirichnidae.[10] Although it is notable for being the largest known pterosaur track, because the type series is rather poorly preserved and lacks stable shape, a redescription with more specimens of this ichnogenus might be required to confirm its ichnotaxonomic validity.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Hwang, K.G.; Huh, M.; Lockley, M.; Unwin, D.; Wright, J.L. (2002). "New pterosaur tracks (Pteraichnidae) from the Late Cretaceous Uhangri Formation, SW Korea" (PDF). Geological Magazine. 139 (4): 421–435. doi:10.1017/S0016756802006647. S2CID 54996027.
- ^ Kim, C.B.; Kim, J.M.; Huh, M. (2008). "Age and stratification of dinosaur eggs and clutches from Seonso Formation, South Korea" (PDF). Journal of the Korean Earth Science Society. 29 (5): 386–395. doi:10.5467/JKESS.2008.29.5.386.
- ^ Witton, Mark P.; Naish, Darren; McClain, Craig R. (28 May 2008). "A Reappraisal of Azhdarchid Pterosaur Functional Morphology and Paleoecology". PLOS ONE. 3 (5): e2271. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.2271W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002271. PMC 2386974. PMID 18509539.
- ^ Bell, P.R.; Fanti, F.; Sissons, R. (2013). "A possible pterosaur manus track from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta". Lethaia. 46 (2): 274–279. doi:10.1111/let.12006.
- ^ Kim, Kyung Soo; Lockley, Martin G.; Lim, Jong Deock; Bae, Seul Mi; Romilio, Anthony (2020-06-11). "Trackway evidence for large bipedal crocodylomorphs from the Cretaceous of Korea". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 8680. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.8680K. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66008-7. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7289791. PMID 32528068.
- ^ Sennikov, Andrey Gerasimovich (December 2021). "The Plantigrade Segnosaurians: Sloth Dinosaurs or Bear Dinosaurs?". Paleontological Journal. 55 (10): 1158–1185. doi:10.1134/S0031030121100087.
- ^ Witton, M.P. (2010). "Pteranodon and beyond: The history of giant pterosaurs from 1870 onwards". Geological Society London Special Publications. 343 (1): 313–323. Bibcode:2010GSLSP.343..313W. doi:10.1144/SP343.19. S2CID 128801077.
- ^ Kubo, T. (2011). "Estimating body weight from footprints: Application to pterosaurs". Cretaceous Research. 299 (1–2): 197–199. Bibcode:2011PPP...299..197K. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2010.11.001.
- ^ Witton, M. P. (2013). Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy (1st ed.). Princeton University Press. pp. 255–257. ISBN 978-0-691-15061-1.
- ^ Masrour, M.; de Ducla, M.; Billon-Bruyat, J.-P.; Mazin, J.-M. (2018). "Rediscovery of the Tagragra Tracksite (Maastrichtian, Agadir, Morocco): Agadirichnus elegans Ambroggi and Lapparent 1954 is Pterosaurian Ichnotaxon". Ichnos. 25 (4): 285–294. doi:10.1080/10420940.2017.1386661.
- ^ Xing, Lida; Díaz-Martínez, Ignacio; Lallensack, Jens N.; Kim, Kyung Soo; Buckley, Lisa G.; Romilio, Anthony; Piñuela, Laura; Wang, Donghao; Chen, Qiyan; Yang, Qing; Chou, Chunyong; Yin, Hang; Jin, Yufei (2025). "Cretaceous vertebrate tracks". Vertebrate Ichnology: 479–747. doi:10.1016/B978-0-443-13837-9.00002-0.
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