A well-preserved respiratory system in a Silurian ostracod
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Siveter, David
Briggs, Derek
Siveter, Derek
Sutton, Mark
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Ostracod crustaceans are diverse and ubiquitous in aqueous environments today but relatively few known species have gills. Ostracods are the most abundant fossil arthropods but examples of soft-part preservation, especially of gills, are exceptionally rare. A new ostracod, Spiricopia aurita (Myodocopa), from the marine Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte (430 Mya), UK, preserves appendages, lateral eyes and gills. The respiratory system includes five pairs of gill lamellae with hypobranchial and epibranchial canals that conveyed haemolymph. A heart and associated vessels had likely evolved in ostracods by the Mid-Silurian.
Date Issued
2018-11-11
Date Acceptance
2018-10-12
Citation
Biology Letters, 2018, 14 (11)
ISSN
1744-957X
Publisher
Royal Society, The
Journal / Book Title
Biology Letters
Volume
14
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2018 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original
author and source are credited.
License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original
author and source are credited.
Sponsor
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Grant Number
NE/F01693X/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Biology
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Herefordshire Lagerstatte
Ostracoda
respiratory system
Silurian
FUNCTIONAL-MORPHOLOGY
MYODOCOPID OSTRACOD
HEREFORDSHIRE
Herefordshire Lagerstätte
06 Biological Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-11-07