Brachyaglaspis

Brachyaglaspis Temporal range: Floian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Reconstruction of B. singularis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	† Artiopoda
Order:	† Aglaspidida
Family:	† Tremaglaspididae
Genus:	† Brachyaglaspis Ortega-Hernández, Van Roy and Lerosey-Aubril 2016
Species:	†B. singularis
Binomial name
†Brachyaglaspis singularis Ortega-Hernández, Van Roy and Lerosey-Aubril 2016

Brachyaglaspis is a genus of aglaspidid of the family Tremaglaspididae from the Fezouata Formation (Tremadocian to Floian). ^{[1] [2]} There is only one species, B. singularis. ^[1]

Distribution

Brachyaglaspis is known from a single, nearly complete specimen from the Floian aged section of the Fezouata Formation in Morocco. ^{[1] [3]} It is the second confirmed aglaspidid from the Fezouata Formation and the third aglaspidid known from the Ordovician period. ^[1]

Description

Other aglaspidids such as Tremaglaspis unite had more segments than Brachyaglaspis.

Brachyaglaspis was an unusual aglaspidid. ^[4] For an aglaspidid, Brachyaglaspis had a relatively large head with no eyes, no antennae are known. ^{[1] [5]} It’s trunk had six tergites and an short almond shaped tail spine, while other aglaspidids known from relatively complete specimens have ten or more tergites, with the members of the family Aglaspidida having more segments than the Tremaglaspididae, of which Brachyaglaspis belongs to. ^{[1] [2]}

Etymology

The genus name, Brachyaglaspis comes from the Latin brachy for short and Aglaspis, a related genus, the species name, singularis means singular in Latin reflecting its uniqueness among aglaspidids. ^[1]

References

1. Ortega-Hernández, Javier; Roy, Peter Van; Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy (May 2016). "A new aglaspidid euarthropod with a six-segmented trunk from the Lower Ordovician Fezouata Konservat-Lagerstätte, Morocco". Geological Magazine. 153 (3): 524–536. Bibcode:2016GeoM..153..524O. doi:10.1017/S0016756815000710. hdl:1854/LU-8714213. ISSN   0016-7568.
2. Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy; Zhu, Xuejian; Ortega-Hernández, Javier (2017-09-11). "The Vicissicaudata revisited – insights from a new aglaspidid arthropod with caudal appendages from the Furongian of China". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 11117. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11610-5. ISSN   2045-2322.
3. Siveter, Derek J.; Fortey, Richard A.; Zhu, Xuejian; Zhou, Zhiyi (October 2018). "A three-dimensionally preserved aglaspidid euarthropod with a calcitic cuticle from the Ordovician of China" . Geological Magazine. 155 (7): 1427–1441. Bibcode:2018GeoM..155.1427S. doi:10.1017/S0016756817000309. ISSN   0016-7568.
4. Lefebvre, Bertrand; Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy; Servais, Thomas; Van Roy, Peter (2016-10-15). "The Fezouata Biota: An exceptional window on the Cambro-Ordovician faunal transition" (PDF). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. The Fezouata Biota: an exceptional window on the Cambro-Ordovician faunal transition. 460: 1–6. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.06.041. ISSN   0031-0182.
5. "An Enigmatic Euchelicerate from the Mississippian (Serpukhovian) and Insights into Invertebrate Preservation in the Bear Gulch Limestone, Montana". American Museum Novitates. doi:10.1206/4008.1.full.