Skolithos (Haldeman, 1840)

DESCRIPTION: Straight vertical to slightly inclined cylindrical burrows with a very thin, discontinuous lining. Burrows can be slightly J-shaped. Walls of burrow are smooth with structureless fill. Burrows are parallel, do not branch, cross, nor interpenetrate.

BEHAVIOR(S): Domichnia (dwelling). From this dwelling burrow, the constructor can suspension feed or conduct ambush predation.

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTINGS: Found in every type of environment from marine to continental terrestrial and aquatic. Present in high-energy marine conditions, especially in nearshore shallow marine facies, deep marine submarine channels and canyons; continental fluvial, floodplain, lacustrine, and eolian settings.

POSSIBLE TRACEMAKERS: Wide range of tracemakers: worms, phoronids, and arthropods such as insect nymphs and larvae, spiders.

GEOLOGIC RANGE: Cambrian-recent in marine environments; Silurian–recent in continental environments.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Emended: Alpert 1974, Fillion and Pickerill 1990

REMARKS: Similar in morphology to Cylindrichum and Macanopsis or partially preserved Arenicolites or Diplocraterion.

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