Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...
trace fossil that has been found in North America.
The ichnogenus originally included two ichnospecies found in close association. ''T. buildexensis'' is interpreted as the resting trace of a primitive insect, often preserving the outline of the insect's underside in great detail. ''T. ottawensis'' is interpreted as a jumping trace, likely of the same kind of insect, and provides evidence of jumping as an important form of locomotion in the earliest insects. The trace fossils are found in beds typical of the inner freshwater reaches of
estuaries
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
but subject to
tides
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
. This provides evidence of the environment in which the first insects evolved.