Coprolites of apparently herbivorous origin occur within the early Middle Triassic permineralized peat from Fremouw Peak in the central Transantarctic Mountains. Thus far, this peat deposit has yielded a fairly diverse flora that includes seed ferns, conifers, cycads, filicalean and marattialean ferns, sphenophytes, and numerous fungi. Coprolites were distinguished from plant litter by their regular size and shape and by their clearly defined margins. They occur in a variety of locations, including within wood tissue, in fern stems, within leaves, as dense masses in the matrix, and in clusters in the matrix. The coprolites fall into two broad size categories: those ranging from 20-90 mm in diameter and those larger than 700 mm. While some include preserved plant parts, others are too decayed to identify contents. At least one of the larger coprolites contains identifiable remains of Dicroidium leaves and one appears to be from a coprophagous organism (i.e., a coprolite within a coprolite). The coprolites are compared with possible frass producers in the Carboniferous, as well as in the Recent fauna. This represents the first report of coprolites form the Triassic of Antarctica and the most detailed analysis to date of probable arthropod activity in Gondwana.

Key words: Antarctica, coprolites, herbivory, paleobotany, plant-animal interactions, Triassic