Description of a tetrapod trackway from the early Carboniferous Bonaventure Formation of New Brunswick, Canada

Abstract

The Bonaventure Formation is an early Carboniferous fossil-bearing rock unit that crops out in northern New Brunswick and eastern Quebec, eastern Canada. Here, we describe CMNFV 10013, a tetrapod trackway found in Bonaventure Formation outcrops on Heron Island, New Brunswick, by Robert Wheelock Ells in 1879. The specimen shows at least seven prints including two pes–manus couples, one of which is sufficiently well preserved to be attributable to Hylopus isp. Several underprints significantly depart from typical Hylopus tracks and emphasise the importance of considering taphonomy when identifying fossil trackways. CMNFV 10013 is the first described fossil reported from the Bonaventure Formation. It extends the Carboniferous Maritimes Basin tetrapod trackway record northwards and represents one of the oldest tetrapod trackways from Canada. Reviewing the global record of Hylopus isp. reveals CMNFV 10013 is also one of the earliest Hylopus found. This global record also reveals that Hylopus occurrences are clustered around the paleotropics, possibly suggesting a biogeographical preference. This specimen highlights the importance of describing forgotten museum specimens. Future research should focus on undescribed museum specimens and contributing to existing collections through fieldwork in the promising rocks of Heron Island.