Ornithichnites is an ichnotaxon of mammal footprint that was originally classified as a dinosaur. The name was originally used by Edward Hitchcock in 1836 as a higher group name rather than a specific ichnogenus,E. Hitchcock. 1836. Ornithichnology - description of the foot marks of birds, (Ornithichnites) on new Red Sandstone in Massachusetts. The American Journal of Science and Arts 29(2):307-340 and thus the name does not have priority over specific ichnogeneric names even if they were first identified as Ornithichnites.The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs: Faunal Change across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary, edited by Kevin Padian (1988). page 263. Only two ichnospecies exist: O. crassusE. Hitchcock. 1837. Fossil footsteps in sandstone and graywacke. The American Journal of Sciences and Arts 32:174-176 and O. argenterae.T. C. Winkler. 1886. Histoire de l’Ichnologie. Étude Ichnologique sur les Empreintes de Pas d’Animaux Fossiles, Suivie de la Description des Plaques à Impressions d’Animaux qui se Trouvent au Musée Teyler [History of Ichnology. Ichnological Study of Fossil Animal Footprints, Followed by the Description of Slabs with Animal Impressions found in Teyler’s Museum] iv-200
References