Lophiopus Ellenberger, 1980

Abbassi, Nasrollah, Salehi Tinooni, Mohammad, Ghorbani Dehnavi, Mahdi, Shakeri, Safoora & Eshaghi, Ali, 2024, Oligocene vertebrate footprints from the Lower Red Formation, Central Iran, Fossil Record 27 (2), pp. 265-287 : 265-287

Ichnogenus Lophiopus Ellenberger, 1980

Type ichnospecies.

Lophiopus rapidus Ellenberger, 1980 .

Revised diagnosis.

Footprint of small perissodactyls, imprints belong to three-toed foot that shows a longer middle digit, which supports the entire pedal sole on the ground. The footprint is small. The lateral digit II and IV imprints are symmetrical to each other, and are set farther back from the middle digit III. These digit imprints end distally in sharp tips. The trackway is narrow, which denotes a much faster and lighter mode of locomotion (translated and adapted by Abbassi et al. in press).

Discussion.

Ellenberger (1980) introduced Lophiopus from the Eocene of France for tridactyl footprints with symmetrical lateral digits. Lophiopus latus is the most similar to Plagiolophustipus , and Santamaria et al. (1989–1990) distinguish Plagiolophustipus from Lophiopus by a little larger and its thick lateral digits. The report of Lophiopus from the Eocene of Alborz Mountain of north Iran lacked adequate figures and description ( Davoodi et al. 2016) and that report needs further investigation ( Abbassi et al. in press). Lophiopus of Deh Nar is the second record of Lophiopus from the Tethyan realm.