''Trypanites'' is a narrow, cylindrical, unbranched boring which is one of the most common

trace fossil 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 fossils contrast with body fossils, ...

s in hard substrates such as rocks, carbonate

hardground Carbonate hardgrounds are surfaces of synsedimentarily cemented carbonate layers that have been exposed on the seafloor (Wilson and Palmer, 1992). A hardground is essentially, then, a lithified seafloor. Ancient hardgrounds are found in limestone ...

s and shells (Bromley, 1972). It appears first in the Lower

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million years ago ...

(James et al., 1977), was very prominent in the

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. T ...

Bioerosion Bioerosion describes the breakdown of hard ocean substrates – and less often terrestrial substrates – by living organisms. Marine bioerosion can be caused by mollusks, polychaete worms, phoronids, sponges, crustaceans, echinoids, and ...

Revolution (Wilson and Palmer, 2006), and is still commonly formed today. ''Trypanites'' is almost always found in calcareous substrates, most likely because the excavating organism used an acid or other chemical agent to dissolve the calcium carbonate (Taylor and Wilson, 2003). ''Trypanites'' is common in the Ordovician and Silurian hardgrounds of

Baltica Baltica is a paleocontinent that formed in the Paleoproterozoic and now constitutes northwestern Eurasia, or Europe north of the Trans-European Suture Zone and west of the Ural Mountains. The thick core of Baltica, the East European Craton, ...

(Vinn et al. 2015).

References

* * * * * * {{cite journal , author = Wilson, M.A., Palmer, T.J. , year = 2006 , title = Patterns and processes in the Ordovician Bioerosion Revolution , journal = Ichnos , volume = 13 , issue = 3 , pages = 109–112 , doi = 10.1080/10420940600850505, s2cid = 128831144 Boring fossils Paleozoic life of Ontario Paleozoic life of Manitoba Paleozoic life of Newfoundland and Labrador Paleozoic life of Quebec