Gastrochaenolites is a
trace fossil formed as a clavate (club-shaped) boring in a hard substrate such as a shell, rock or carbonate
hardground. The aperture of the boring is narrower than the main chamber and may be circular, oval, or dumb-bell shaped (Kelly and Bromley, 1984).
Gastrochaenolites is most commonly attributed to
bioeroding bivalves such as
Lithophaga and
Gastrochaena (Kleeman, 1980). The fossil ranges from the
Ordovician to the Recent (Taylor and Wilson, 2003; Vinn and Wilson, 2010).