Lepidenteron lewesiensis (Mantell, 1822) Polychaete Burrows from the Upper Cretaceous of the Samara Region

Burrows of the predatory polychaete Lepidenteron lewesiensis (Mantell, 1822) are described from the marine Upper Cretaceous (Santonian–Maastrichtian) deposits of the Middle Volga region. A belemnite rostrum and bone remains and scales of bony fishs belonging to five taxa were found in the burrows: one Teleostei indet., two Clupeocephala indet., one Dercetis sp. and one Cyranichthys sp. The find of the belemnite rostrum is the first evidence of belemnites being eaten (by hunting or scavenging) by the predatory polychaete—producers of L. lewesiensis burrow. The discovery of L. lewesiensis burrows in the Middle Volga region significantly expands our understanding of the fauna of bony fishes and the Late Cretaceous marine paleoecosystems of this region, as well as the geographic distribution of this ichnospecies.