Siveter DJ, Briggs DEG, Siveter DJ, Sutton MD, Legg D. A new crustacean from the Herefordshire (Silurian) Lagerstätte, UK, and its significance in malacostracan evolution.
Proc Biol Sci 2017;
284:20170279. [PMID:
28330926 PMCID:
PMC5378094 DOI:
10.1098/rspb.2017.0279]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cascolus ravitis gen. et sp. nov. is a three-dimensionally preserved fossil crustacean with soft parts from the Herefordshire (Silurian) Lagerstätte, UK. It is characterized by a head with a head shield and five limb pairs, and a thorax (pereon) with nine appendage-bearing segments followed by an apodous abdomen (pleon). All the appendages except the first are biramous and have a gnathobase. The post-mandibular appendages are similar one to another, and bear petal-shaped epipods that probably functioned as a part of the respiratory-circulatory system. Cladistic analysis resolves the new taxon as a stem-group leptostracan (Malacostraca). This well-preserved arthropod provides novel insights into the evolution of appendage morphology, tagmosis and the possible respiratory-circulatory physiology of a basal malacostracan.
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