Helminthopsis

Helminthopsis is the ichnogenus of a type of trace fossil that is found preserved on the bedding planes of fine-grained sedimentary rocks. It is characterized by short, curvilinear, non-branching, 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 traces are 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

See also

• Trace fossil
• Ichnology