Ecological implications of possible enteropneust faecal casts in tertiary deposits near castlepoint, New Zealand

Abstract

Unusual “spiral” faecal casts from mid‐Tertiary beds of the Castlepoint area of North Island, New Zealand, are described and compared with modern enteropneust casts photographed at abyssal depths in the south‐west Pacific. Evidence suggests that the fossil casts originated in relatively shallow depths, and this discrepancy emphasises the caution required in the use of trace fossils for palaeoecological interpretations.