Options
Nicosia, Umberto
Loading...
Preferred name
Nicosia, Umberto
3 results
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
- PublicationRestrictedRe-evaluation of Chelichnus tazelwürmi, a non mammalian therapsid-grade track from the Upper Permian Arenaria di Val GardenaIn this paper, a revision of tracks referred to as Chelichnus tazelwürmi is reported. The performed analysis, consisting of a holistic approach by means of a mainly morphological analysis, and a secondarily functional one, led to the proposal of a new ichnogenus, named as Contiichnus tazelwurmi. The three dimensional morphology of the tracks allows for the inference of a complex cycle of locomotion by the trackmakers. The tracks were formed in the main phases (i.e. touch-down, weight-bearing and kick-off) by different axes of body load and transference, indicating that the whole fore autopod was involved in the cycle of locomotion and actively contacted the substrate, while for the hind autopod the functional prevalence was markedly centro-medial. Some track features suggest a therapsid-grade synapsid as potential trackmaker. However, the reconstructed autopodial structure does not correlate with known autopods from the Late Permian body fossil record. These observations stress the importance of tetrapod ichnology studies in improving knowledge in the field of vertebrate palaeontology.
287 7 - PublicationRestrictedThe first dinosaur tracksite from Abruzzi (Monte Cagno, Central Apennines, Italy)(2017)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ; ; ; ;A new Lower Cretaceous (lower Aptian) dinosaur tracksite, from the eastern side of Monte Cagno (Abruzzi, Italy), is described. Different styles of track formation are represented on the site surface. Most of the footprints are preserved as deep tracks, produced by trackmakers sinking into soft mud. Some tracks, better preserved than the others, are characterized by metatarsal impressions and were interpreted as the resting traces of a crouching theropod (based on their orientation and three- dimensional morphology). The 135 cm length of the track with metatarsal impressions indicates huge pedal proportions and represents the largest theropod trackmaker ever documented from the Mesozoic peri-Adriatic platforms of Italy.570 6 - PublicationRestrictedUnveiling trampling history through trackway interferences and track preservational features: a case study from the Bletterbach gorge (Redagno, Western Dolomites, Italy)A slab from the Upper Permian Arenaria di Val Gardena Formation, bearing hundreds of tracks of different tetrapods, has been studied in order to reconstruct the trampling history through standard ichnological analysis and 3D photogrammetry. Analysis of crossed trackways to determine the relative timing of passages, as well as preservational features of the tracks qualitatively considered with trackmaker dimensions, has elucidated the nature of the trampled layer and the preservational mode of the tracks, especially the different conditions (i.e., sediment cohesion) that characterized the trampled layer during trackmaker crossings. Moreover, the analysis of an event timeline strongly suggests that caution should be exercised in analyzing track interferences, especially when multiple lines of evidence are lacking. As a consequence, the timeline of events may be masked, misleading and misinterpreted with obvious repercussions on general reconstructions (e.g., palaeoecological and behavioural). This study highlights the reliability of this type of analysis in untangling the preservational history of trampled surfaces; a useful investigative tool to be employed prior to traditional ichnological analyses aimed at classification of tetrapod tracks.
241 1