A three-dimensionally preserved lobopodian from the Herefordshire (Silurian) Lagerstätte, UK
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Published version
Author(s)
Siveter, Derek
Briggs, Derek
Siveter, David
Sutton, MD
Legg, David
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The Herefordshire (Silurian) Lagerstätte (approx. 430 Myr BP) has yielded, among many exceptionally preserved invertebrates, a wide range of new genera belonging to crown-group Panarthropoda. Here, we increase this panarthropod diversity with the lobopodian Thanahita distos, a new total-group panarthropod genus and species. This new lobopodian preserves at least nine paired, long, slender appendages, the anterior two in the head region and the posterior seven representing trunk lobopods. The body ends in a short post-appendicular extension. Some of the trunk lobopods bear two claws, others a single claw. The body is covered by paired, tuft-like papillae. Thanahita distos joins only seven other known three-dimensionally preserved lobopodian or onychophoran (velvet worm) fossil specimens and is the first lobopodian to be formally described from the Silurian. Phylogenetic analysis recovered it, together with all described Hallucigenia species, in a sister-clade to crown-group panarthropods. Its placement in a redefined Hallucigeniidae, an iconic Cambrian clade, indicates the survival of this clade to Silurian times.
Date Issued
2018-08-31
Date Acceptance
2018-07-06
Citation
Royal Society Open Science, 2018, 5 (8)
ISSN
2054-5703
Publisher
Royal Society, The
Journal / Book Title
Royal Society Open Science
Volume
5
Issue
8
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.
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
exceptional preservation
Herefordshire Lagerstatte
lobopodians
Onychophora
Panarthropoda
Silurian
CAMBRIAN LOBOPODIANS
ONYCHOPHORAN
ARTHROPOD
EVOLUTION
FOSSILS
CHINA
Herefordshire Lagerstätte
Onychophora
Panarthropoda
Silurian
exceptional preservation
lobopodians
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-08-08