Treptichnus
| Treptichnus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Burrows viewed from the side | |
| Burrows viewed obliquely | |
| Trace fossil classification | |
| Ichnogenus: | †Treptichnus Miller, 1889 |
| Ichnospecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Treptichnus (formerly named Phycodes, Manykodes by J. Dzik, and also known as Trichophycus) is the preserved burrow of an animal. As such, it is regarded as the earliest widespread complex trace fossil. Its earliest appearance, around 542 million years ago (mya), which was contemporaneous with the last of the Ediacaran biota, is used to help define the dividing line, considered geologically at 541 mya, between the Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. It is last seen in the fossil record during the Cenomanian (99.7 mya).