Neodendrina, Wisshak & Neumann, 2018

Wisshak, Max & Neumann, Christian, 2018, Large dendrinids meet giant clam: the bioerosion trace fossil Neodendrina carnelia igen. et isp. n. in a Tridacna shell from Pleistocene-Holocene coral reef deposits, Red Sea, Egypt, Fossil Record 21 (1), pp. 1-9 : 3

Neodendrina igen. n.

Type ichnospecies: Neodendrina carnelia isp. n.

Etymology: Latinized from ancient Greek νέος (neos) and δένδρον (dendron), referring to the parent ichnofamily Dendrinidae and its type ichnogenus Dendrina , and making reference to the fact that microborings of the new ichnogenus are among the few dendrinids to also occur in modern seas.

Diagnosis: Dendritic bioerosion trace in calcareous skeletal substrates, forming a prostrate system of roofless canals that bifurcate dichotomously.

Remarks: The dichotomous bifurcation pattern of Neodendrina igen. n. closely resembles that of the ichnogenus Abeliella Mägdefrau, 1937 , which is, however, found in a different principal substrate type, namely fossil bone and teeth. Such osteic substrates are considered as a principal substrate type for bioerosion trace fossils at equal rank with xylic and lithic substrates, thus justifying establishment of a separate ichnogenus ( Höpner and Bertling, 2017). The dichotomous nature of bifurcations shows some similarity to Fascichnus bellafurcus ( Radtke et al., 2010) , originally established as Abeliella bellafurca by the latter authors and transferred to Fascichnus by Wisshak (2017), which is much smaller and shows a three-dimensional architecture. Another ichnogenus with some similarity is Rhopalondendrina Wisshak, 2017 , which differs by the presence of a straight to arcuate entrance tunnel and the development of only a semi-circular plexus of ramifying or anastomosing galleries. Neodendrina igen. n. differs from the related ichnogenus Dendrina Quenstedt, 1849 by the lack of a tubular inlet tunnel, and by the more regular bifurcation pattern of galleries that are more constant in width. Apart from these distinctions, the main morphological character that distinguishes Neodendrina igen. n. from Dendrina and most of the other dendrinids is the roofless nature of the open galleries.