Koonaspides Temporal range: | |
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Life restoration, missing elements reconstructed after modern anaspidesids | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Anaspidacea |
Family: | Anaspidesidae |
Genus: | Koonaspides Jell & Duncan, 1986 |
Type species | |
Koonaspides indistinctus Jell & Duncan, 1986 |
Koonaspides is an extinct genus of fossil crustacean in the family Anaspidesidae, from Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Koonwarra Fossil Beds in eastern Victoria, Australia. The only known species within the genus is Koonaspides indistinctus. [1] Along with the Triassic genus Anaspidites , this is one of two known fossil members of this family.
A single specimen of K. indistinctus, NMV P102799 is known from the Koonwarra Fossil Beds. The genus name consists of Koon- from Koonwarra and -aspides from Greek aspis, a shield. The species name indistinctus means obscure or dim. [1]
The only known specimen of K. indistinctus has a body length of 23 mm (0.91 in), with indistinct antennae preserved as long as 11 mm (0.43 in). Its eyes are large and very widely separated with eye stalks. Head and anterior part of thorax are indistinct, three posterior tergites could be recognized, but those are shorter and apparently much less sclerotized than abdominal ones. Although very indistinct, long and slender thoracic appendages are confirmed, some reaching around half length of thorax. The abdomen has six segments, with the five anterior ones of almost equal length, with ventral tip of tergites bluntly pointed. The sixth segment is narrower and longer than other five, and the telson is almost as long. The telson has scalloped lateral margins and distinct border furrows on each side. Endopodites are visible on abdominal tergites, being compressed similar to that of Anaspides . The sixth abdominal segment bears large uropods which have hairy margin. [1]
Preserved tergites are penetrated by many circular holes, destroying details of the cuticle. This may be because of escaping gases from compaction of body, or sediment rupturing the cuticle. Preservation also suggests that cuticle is extremely thin. [1]
The lack of a carapace and morphology of abdominal segment suggests that Koonaspides is a member of Syncarida, with its stalked eyes, pleopod morphology and general morphological similarities with Anaspidites suggesting that it is a member of Anaspidesidae, [1] [2] the family previously called as Anaspididae. [3] Modern anaspidesids are endemic to Tasmania, which suggests the current distribution of that family represents a relict endemism, originated from earlier members like Triassic Anaspidites. [4] Koonaspides and Anaspidites possibly show that this group lived in southeastern Australia for at least 200 million years. [1]
Koonaspides is known from Aptian Koonwarra Fossil Beds in Victoria, which represents a freshwater lacustrine environment in the polar regions of Gondwana. Some algae microfossils and many plant macrofossils are known, insects of many groups including the stem-flea Tarwinia , other arthropods like freshwater xiphosuran Victalimulus , and other fauna including fish are known from this fossil site. [5] Other crustaceans known from Koonwarra are conchostracan Cyzicus ( Lioestheria ) banchocarus and anostracan Koonwarrella , as well as ostracods. [5] [6]
Kollikodon is an extinct species of mammal, considered to be an early monotreme. It is known only from an opalised dentary fragment, with one premolar and two molars in situ, as well as a referred maxillary fragment containing the last premolar and all four molars. The fossils were found in the Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. Kollikodon lived in the Late Cretaceous period, during the Cenomanian age. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including Dharragarra, Opalios, Parvopalus, Steropodon, and Stirtodon.
Steropodon is a genus of prehistoric platypus-like monotreme, or egg-laying mammal. It contains a single species, Steropodon galmani, that lived about 100.2–96.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, from early to middle Cenomanian. It is one of the oldest monotremes discovered, and is one of the oldest Australian mammal discoveries. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including Dharragarra, Kollikodon, Opalios, Parvopalus, and Stirtodon.
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Anaspidesidae is a family of freshwater crustacean that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia. The family contains 3 living genera. This group of crustaceans are considered living fossils. They are commonly and collectively known as the Tasmanian anaspid crustaceans.
Anaspides is a genus of freshwater crustaceans in the family Anaspidesidae. The genus was first described in 1894 by George Malcolm Thomson. The genus was originally placed in the family, Anaspididae by Thomson, but this genus name was preoccupied by the insect genus, Anaspis Geoffroy, 1762, and therefore, in 2017, the family was renamed Anaspidesidae by Shane Ahyong and Miguel A. Alonso-Zarazaga.
Cooyoo is an extinct genus of ichthyodectid ray-finned fish known from the Lower Cretaceous. It contains a single species, C. australis, known from the Albian-aged Toolebuc and Allaru Formations of Queensland, Australia. C. australis was originally named by Arthur Smith Woodward as a species of Portheus in 1894, which was later amended to Xiphactinus.
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Koonwarra is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Koonwarra had a population of 404. The town straddles the South Gippsland Highway. Located around 128 km southeast of Melbourne, the town was served by rail from the 1890s until 1991 with the closing of the rail line to Barry Beach.
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Kryoryctes is a genus of prehistoric monotreme mammal from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Eumeralla Formation of Victoria, Australia from the Otway Group of Dinosaur Cove. It is known only from a partial right humerus, estimated at 106 million years old, and contains one species, Kryoryctes cadburyi. The holotype, NMV P208094, was described in 2005 and is currently housed in the Museums Victoria Palaeontological Collection.
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