''Helminthopsis'' is the
ichnogenus of a type of
trace fossil that is found preserved on the bedding planes of fine-grained
sedimentary rocks
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles t ...
. It is characterized by short, curvilinear, non-branching, parallel-sided, unlined traces on bedding surfaces. It is thought to represent the submarine feeding trails of an invertebrate organism that worked the surface of muddy substrates in search of food.
Because ''Helminthopsis'' traces never cross over themselves, the ichnogenus is distinguished from similar traces assigned to the ''
Gordia
''Gordia'' is an ichnofossil
A trace fossil, also known as an ichnofossil (; from el, ἴχνος ''ikhnos'' "trace, track"), is a fossil record of biological activity but not the preserved remains of the plant or animal itself. Trace fos ...
'' ichnogenus.
The similar sounding, but now obsolete, ichnogenus ''
Helminthoida
''Nereites'' is a genus of trace fossil. Modern tracemakers of incipient ''Nereites'' include worm-like organisms,Seilacher, A., 2007. Trace Fossil Analysis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg (226 pp.) horseshoe crabsMartin, A.J., Rindsberg, A.K., 20 ...
'' refers to a somewhat similar trace characterized by regular, back-and-forth meanders, whereas ''Helminthopsis'' traces are irregular.
See also
*
Trace fossil
*
Ichnology
References
Trace fossils
{{trace-fossil-stub
