Helminthopsis
Trace fossil
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Helminthopsis is an ichnogenus of trace fossil that is found preserved on the bedding planes of fine-grained sedimentary rocks. It is characterized by short, curvilinear, nonbranching, 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.[1][2] Because Helminthopsis traces never cross over themselves, the ichnogenus is distinguished from similar traces assigned to the Gordia ichnogenus.[3] The similar sounding, but now obsolete, ichnogenus Helminthoida refers to a somewhat similar trace characterized by regular, back-and-forth meanders, whereas Helminthopsis is irregular.[4]
| Helminthopsis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Helminthopsis trace fossils from the Logan Formation (Lower Carboniferous) of Wooster, Ohio | |
 | |
| Helminthopsis trace fossils in a core from the Belridge Diatomite (Upper Miocene) of Lost Hills Oil Field, California | |
Trace fossil classification  | |
| Ichnogenus: | Helminthopsis Heer, 1877 |
