A Short Critique of the Ichnotaxonomic DualismCamunipes-Erpetopus, Lower Permian Ichnogenera from Europe and North America

Recently, numerous ichnites belonging to Camunipes cassinisi (Ceoloni et al., 1987) were discovered in Lower Permian strata cropping out in the South-Alpine region (Northern Italy). However, in North America, morphologically similar footprints are classified as Erpetopus willistoni Moodie 1929. On the basis of documented cases and newly accepted taxonomies, the possibility that the ichnotaxa could be synonyms but that the ichnospecies C. cassinisi (“E.” cassinisi) and E. willistoni should be considered different entities is discussed.