Taxonomic data from the fossil record of bioerosion, including a comprehensive list of valid ichnogenera and ichnospecies associated with bioerosion
Data files
Aug 05, 2026 version files 74.10 KB
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Ichnogenera_data_080326.csv
31.80 KB
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Ichnospecies_data_080326.csv
39.96 KB
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README.md
2.34 KB
Abstract
Bioerosion (the biological removal, abrasion, or dissolution of hard substrates) has produced a rich and behaviorally informative trace fossil record spanning the Archean to the Recent. We present a comprehensive review of the fossil record of bioerosion based on an exhaustive survey of the ichnological literature through August 2026. Building on earlier syntheses, we compile and critically evaluate all currently valid bioerosional ichnogenera and ichnospecies, documenting their original authorship, substrate preference, inferred trace makers, architectural design, ichnofamilial assignment, and stratigraphic ranges resolved to, where possible, the stage level. The resulting database recognizes 151 valid bioerosional ichnogenera and 418 ichnospecies. Analyses of ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity of the bioerosion record shows that most fundamental architectural designs of bioerosion were established by the end of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE), with relatively limited innovation thereafter. Ichnogenus diversity increased overall through the Phanerozoic, punctuated by major diversification pulses in the Late Ordovician, Late Triassic, Jurassic, and especially the Cretaceous. In contrast to body fossil patterns, most mass extinctions, including the end-Permian event, are weakly expressed in the bioerosional ichnogenus record, whereas the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary shows the most pronounced decline. These patterns underscore the resilience and recurrence of bioerosional behaviors through deep time.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.d51c5b0kg
Description of the data and file structure
This is a taxonomic database summarizing the valid ichnogenera and ichnospecies associated with bioerosion through geologic time. It is part of the paper entitled "The Fossil Record of Bioerosion" in the Journal of Paleontology. The data were collected from a literature review that accounted for synonymies and invalid taxa. There are two files: the first organized by ichnogenus, and the second for ichnospecies. For each valid ichnotaxon, considerable information is recorded, from original authors to known age ranges (see below for details). All the references are included in the references cited section of the manuscript.
In both tables there are blank cells where we did not find enough information to record data. This data is intended not only to support the review manuscript, but to also serve as a template for future researchers to add and subtract ichnotaxa and make corrections for their own summaries.
Two symbols are used in the dataset: A question mark (?) indicates some uncertainty in a category assignment, but we have enough confidence to list it rather than leaving the cell blank. An asterisk (*) is used in the ichnospecies list to indicate the type ichnospecies for each ichnogenus.
Ichnogenera_data_080326.csv
The first column (A) lists all the valid ichnogenera we could account for in the scientific literature. For each ichnogenus we then record in successive columns the authors and date of description, the type (microboring, macroboring, predation, etc.), the substrate, the likely tracemaker, trace fossil architecture category, ichnofamily, marine or nonmarine, first appearance (with references), and last appearance (with references).
Ichnospecies_data_080326.csv
The ichnospecies list is alphabetized by ichnogenus. Columns include authors and dates, type, substrate and likely tracemaker.
Access information
Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data:
Data was derived from the following sources:
- scientific literature