Morocconites malladoides | |
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Genus: | Morocconites Struve, 1989 |
Species: | M. malladoides |
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Morocconites malladoides Struve, 1989 | |
Morocconites malladoides is an average size (about 5 centimetres or 2.0 inches) trilobite, which lived during the Devonian period, in what is now southern Morocco. This species is assumed to be a close relative of Acastoides . The most conspicuous feature is the very long upcurved frontal medial spine, a bit like an avocet bill. It is the only known species in this genus (i.e. the genus is monotypic).
The general outline of Morocconites is a bar about twice as long as wide, with approximately parallel sides and rounded front and back ends. The horizontal outline of the cephalon (or head) is pentangular, with a long, upcurved, frontal medial spine. At the axis, the cephalon takes up about 30% of the total body length. The horizontal outline of the raised part of the cephalon is approximately parabolic. The central area of the cephalon, separated from the eye area by a lateral furrow, is called the glabella. Posteriorly, a left to right furrow singles off the occipital ring. This furrow is deep laterally and shallower near the axis. In front of the occipital ring, the glabella is divided by deep furrows into three pairs of lateral lobes and a frontal lobe, but these furrows do not cross the axis. The most posterior of the three lateral lobes is bluntly triangular. The other lateral lobes look like match heads, the anterior one larger and stretching out further from the axis. The frontal lobe is mushroom-shaped. It has schizochroal eyes with 26 vertical files (or rows), each containing five or, rarely, six lenses per file, except for a few files with less lenses at the front and back edge of the eye. The posterior margin of the cephalon progressively curves backwards laterally to about 60˚ with the axis. There is no genal spine, in fact, the genal angle is gently rounded. Its thorax (or body) has 11 articulating segments, like most Phacopina. The axis is about ¼ of the width of the thorax and lightly convex (transversely). The pleural (or side) lobes do not end in spines, but are gently rounded, and the margin of the pygidium (or tail) is entire, two features it shares with both Acastinae and Phacopidae. The pygidium takes up about ¼ of the total body length. The axis of the pygidium is divided in about nine recognisable segments. The furrows of the five most anterior segments are deep laterally, but very shallow in the middle third. The furrows between the posterior pygidial segments are faint, while segmentation in the pleural region of the pygidium is barely discernable. [1]
Morocconites malladoides, the only designated species of this (monotypical) genus lived during the late Lower Devonian (Emsian) or early Middle Devonian (Eifelian) in what is now southern Morocco, [1] and presumably neighbouring Mauritania and the former Spanish Sahara.
Most phacopids were probably marine bottom-dwellers.
Morocconites is presumed to have been a fast-moving low-level epifaunal detritivore. [2]
Phacopidae is a family of phacopid trilobites that ranges from the Lower Ordovician to the Upper Devonian, with representatives in all paleocontinents.
Dalmanites is a genus of trilobite in the order Phacopida. They lived from the Late Ordovician to Middle Devonian.
Paradoxides is a genus of large to very large trilobite found throughout the world during the Middle Cambrian period. One record-breaking specimen of Paradoxides davidis, described by John William Salter in 1863, is 37 cm (15 in). The cephalon was semicircular with free cheeks ending in long, narrow, recurved spines. Eyes were crescent shaped providing an almost 360° view, but only in the horizontal plane. Its elongate thorax was composed of 19–21 segments and adorned with longish, recurved pleural spines. Its pygidium was comparatively small. Paradoxides is a characteristic Middle-Cambrian trilobite of the 'Atlantic' (Avalonian) fauna. Avalonian rocks were deposited near a small continent called Avalonia in the Paleozoic Iapetus Ocean. Avalonian beds are now in a narrow strip along the East Coast of North America, and in Europe.
Huntoniatonia is genus of trilobites, an extinct group of marine arthropods of average to large size.
Dikelocephalus is a genus of very large trilobites of up to 50 cm (20 in) long, that lived during the last 3 million years of the Cambrian (Sunwaptan). Their fossils are commonly found as disarticulated sclerites, in the upper Mississippi Valley and in Canada (Alberta). The exoskeleton is rounded anteriorly, with the thorax and sides of the tailshield slightly tapering to about 2⁄3× of the width across the base of the spines at the back of the headshield. At the side corners of the pygidium there may be triangular or hooked spines, pointing backwards, while between the spines the posterior margin is at a 30-75° angle with the lateral margin, gently convex or nearly straight. If pygidial spines are lacking, the margin is gradually rounded. The thorax has 12 segments.
Analox Rasetti, 1966 is a genus of Eodiscinid trilobites belonging to the family Weymouthiidae Kobayashi T. (1943), Order Agnostida It lived during the Botomian stage. It can easily be distinguished from other trilobites by the two furrows that extend forwards and sidewards from the front of the glabella.
Meniscuchus is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the Botomian stage, which lasted from approximately 522 to 516 million years ago. This faunal stage was part of the Cambrian Period. Meniscuchus has been found in the USA, Canada, Russia and Australia.
Dicerodiscus is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the early part of the Botomian stage, in China. Four species have been assigned to it. Dicerodiscus is unique for an eodiscoid in having conspicuous and curved spines that are attached anteriorly, and at their base are directed outward perpendicular to the midline, before gradually bending further backwards.
Meteoraspis is an extinct genus of ptychopariid trilobites of the family Tricrepicephalidae. The various species lived from 501 to 497 million years ago during the Dresbachian faunal stage of the late Cambrian Period. Fossils of Meteoraspis are characteristic of Late Cambrian strata in North America, though they are found in Late Cambrian strata elsewhere in the world, such as M. nevensis from Victoria Land, Antarctica.
Erbenochile is a genus of spinose phacopid trilobite, of the family Acastidae, found in Lower to Middle Devonian age rocks from Algeria and Morocco. Originally described from an isolated pygidium, the first complete articulated specimen of E. erbeni revealed the presence of extraordinarily tall eyes:
"Straight-sided towers of lenses... with [up to] 18 lenses in a vertical file"
Biceratops is an extinct genus of olenelloid redlichiid trilobites, of average size, with the largest specimen 8 centimetres or 3.1 inches long, not including the huge pleural spines of the 3rd segment of the thorax. It lived during the Toyonian stage, in what is today the South-Western United States. Biceratops can easily be distinguished from other members of Biceratopsidae by the absence of genal spines, in combination with effaced features of the raised axial area of the head shield, that is bordering the two horn-like projections that carry the eyes. Biceratops nevadensis is the only known species in this genus.
Ptychoparia is a genus of ptychopariid trilobites, and is the type genus of the family Ptychopariidae, and the order Ptychopariida.
Odontochile is a genus of trilobites in the order Phacopida, family Dalmanitidae.
Galbagnostus is an extinct genus of agnostid trilobite. It lived during the Lower and Middle Ordovician.
Coltraneia is a genus of trilobite, that lived during the upper Emsian and lower Eifelian, and has been found in Algeria, France, Germany, Morocco and Spain.
Minicryphaeus is a genus of trilobite, that lived during the Pragian in what is today Morocco (Anti-Atlas).
Psychopyge is a genus of trilobite, that lived during the upper Emsian and has been found in Germany and Morocco. It is characterized by the swordlike extension from the front of the head.
Orygmaspis is a genus of asaphid trilobite with an inverted egg-shaped outline, a wide headshield, small eyes, long genal spines, 12 spined thorax segments and a small, short tailshield, with four pairs of spines. It lived during the Late Cambrian in what are today Canada and the United States.
Tricrepicephalus is an extinct genus of ptychopariid trilobites of the family Tricrepicephalidae with species of average size. Its species lived from 501 to 497 million years ago during the Dresbachian faunal stage of the late Cambrian Period. Fossils of Tricrepicephalus are widespread in Late Cambrian deposits in North America, but is also known from one location in South America. Tricrepicephalus has an inverted egg-shaped exoskeleton, with three characteristic pits in the fold that parallels the margin of the headshield just in front of the central raised area. The articulating middle part of the body has 12 segments and the tailshield carries two long, tubular, curved pygidial spines that are reminiscent of earwig's pincers that rise backwards from the plain of the body at approximately 30°.
Viaphacops is a genus of trilobites in the order Phacopida, family Phacopidae, that lived during the Middle Devonian, and is known from North and South America, Asia.