Trace fossils have been used widely as indicators of original water depth in paleoenvironmental studies, but most paleobathymetric interpretations in ichnology have been based on only a small number of standard ichnofacies. In addition to bathymetry, it is important to recognize that salinity, oxygen concentration, and substrate character also play a major role in controlling the distribution of trace fossils. Several pitfalls of paleobathymetric interpretation based on trace fossils can lead to erroneous paleoenvironmental reconstructions.