Morocconus

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Morocconus
Temporal range: latest Lower to earliest Middle Cambrian (Cephalopyge-zone)
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Marocconus notabilis dorsal CRF.jpg
Internal moult of Marocconus notabilis, dorsal view, 9 mm
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Trilobita (?)
Order: Agnostida
Family: Weymouthiidae
Genus: Morocconus
Özdikmen, 2009 [1]
Species:
M. notabilis
Binomial name
Morocconus notabilis
(Geyer, 1988)
Synonyms
  • CephalopygeGeyer 1988, (non Hanel, 1905) [2]
  • Marocconus [3]
  • Cephalopyge notabilis [4]
  • Marocconus notabilis [5]

Morocconus is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It is still debated if it lived at the very end of the Lower Cambrian or at the very beginning of the Middle Cambrian. Morocconus notabilis is the only known species in this genus (i.e. the genus is monotypic).

Contents

Taxonomy

Morocconus replaces CephalopygeGeyer, 1988, which is a junior homonym of Cephalopyge Hanel, 1905, a nudibranch. Cephalopyge however, is still widely used for this trilobite, and the new name Morocconus has only been mentioned one time in the scientific literature. [6]

Distribution

M. notabilis is known from the latest Lower Cambrian or earliest Middle Cambrian of Morocco (Jbel Wawrmast Formation, Anti-Atlas Mountains). [7]

Ecology

M. notabilis occurs in the same layers a Cambropallas telesto . [7]

Description

Internal moult of Morocconus notabilis, side view, 9 mm long Marocconus notabilis lateral dark CRF.jpg
Internal moult of Morocconus notabilis, side view, 9 mm long

Like all Agnostida, Morocconus is diminutive and the headshield (or cephalon) and tailshield (or pygidium) are of approximately the same size (or isopygous) and outline. Like all Weymouthiidae, it lacks eyes and rupture lines (or sutures). The cephalon is subcircular except for the straight posterior. The external surface of the cephalon is smooth, convex, and is hanging over an extremely narrow border. The central raised area of the cephalon (or glabella) is evident on the internal mold by a clear defining furrow, long triangular in outline (about 1⅓× as long as the maximum width), with rounded tips and only one transverse furrow (SO). The occipital ring (LO) is short (measured along the length of the animal), and hangs over the posterior margin. The thorax has three segments, like all other Weymouthiidae for which the thorax is known. The pygidium is also externally smooth, and convex. The internal mold shows a long triangular axis, narrower than the glabella (about 1⅓× as long as the maximum width), with rounded tips extending to the posterior margin, and without visible segmentation. The pygidium has no border furrow. [7]

Internal moult of M. notabilis, frontal view, 5 mm wide Marocconus notabilis frontal CRF.jpg
Internal moult of M. notabilis, frontal view, 5 mm wide

Related Research Articles

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<i>Acimetopus</i>

Acimetopus Rasetti, 1966, is a genus of Eodiscinid trilobite belonging to the family Weymouthiidae Kobayashi (1943), Order Agnostida Salter (1864). It lived during the Botomian stage. = late Lower Cambrian Stage 4 ; the upper Botomian boundary corresponds to base of the Middle Cambrian, Miaolingian Series and Wuliuan stage.

<i>Analox</i>

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<i>Oodiscus</i>

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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.

<i>Dicerodiscus</i> Extinct genus of trilobites

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Semadiscus is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It has been collected from the Lower Cambrian of Canada (Newfoundland), Russia, and the United States. Only the headshield is known, and it may well be that it would be better to include it in Serrodiscus.

<i>Tsunyidiscus</i> Genus of trilobites

Tsunyidiscus is a trilobite belonging to the Suborder Eodiscina. Tsunyidiscus appeared near the end of the Lower Cambrian, during the late Atdabanian stage of geologic time and some collections suggest it may have survived into the Botomian. The genus is very small, oculate and isopypous with a narrow dome-shaped glabella and a narrow bullet-shaped pygidial axis. Thorax consists of three segments. Tsunyidiscus is the only genus currently attributed to the family Tsunyidiscidae.

<i>Morocconites</i>

Morocconites malladoides is an average size 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.

Acmarhachis is a genus of trilobite in the order Agnostida, which lived in what are now Australia, Canada, China (Anhui), Kazakhstan, Russia (Kharaulakh), and the US. It was described by Resser in 1938, and the type species is Acmarhachis typicalis.

<i>Conocoryphe</i> Genus of trilobites

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eodiscina</span>

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<i>Litometopus</i> Extinct genus of trilobites

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<i>Mallagnostus</i>

Mallagnostus Howell, 1935, is a trilobite genus belonging to the family Weymouthiidae Kobayashi T. (1943), Order Agnostida Salter (1864) according to Whittington et al. 1997. It lived during the late Lower Cambrian, with remains found in USA, Canada (Newfoundland), Spain, England, Russia, Mongolia, and the early Middle Cambrian as reported from China and Russia (Yakutia).

<i>Thoracocare</i>

Thoracocare is a minute to very small trilobite, that lived during part of the Middle Cambrian in what are today the states of Idaho, Nevada and Utah. It is the only trilobite known with just two thorax segments outside most members of the Agnostida order. It can be distinguished from Agnostida by the very wide subquadrate glabella, parallel-side or widening forward in the largest specimen, with the full front side touching the border. Two species are known, one, T. idahoensis, only from pygidia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebediscidae</span>

The Hebediscidae Kobayashi, 1944, are a family of trilobites belonging to the order Agnostida that lived during the Lower Cambrian. They are small or very small, and have a thorax of two or three segments. The Hebediscidae include five genera.

<i>Jinghediscus</i> Genus of trilobites

Jinghediscus Xiang & Zhang, 1985 is a genus of Eodiscinid trilobite belonging to the family Weymouthiidae Kobayashi T. (1943), Order Agnostida It lived during the lower Middle Cambrian, with remains found in China (Xinjiang) and Australia (Queensland).

<i>Cedaria</i>

Cedaria is an extinct genus of trilobites from the late Cambrian.

<i>Tricrepicephalus</i>

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°.

Anabaraspis is a genus of redlichiid trilobite, A. splendens occurs in the uppermost Lower Cambrian and lowest Middle Cambrian of Russia. In Anabaraspis, there is an extended area in front of the glabella which is not differentiated in a border and a preglabellar field. It is a unique character in the family Paradoxididae.

References

  1. Özdikmen, H. (2009). "Nomenclatural changes for twenty trilobites genera". Munis Entomology & Zoology. 4 (1): 155–171.
  2. "PBDB Taxon". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  3. "Morocconus | BioLib.cz" . Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. "PBDB Taxon".
  5. "Morocconus notabilis | BioLib.cz" . Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  6. Geyer, G; Peel, J.S. (2011). "The Henson Gletscher Formation, North Greenland, and its bearing on the global Cambrian Series 2–Series 3 boundary" (PDF). Bulletin of Geosciences. 86 (3): 465–534. doi: 10.3140/bull.geosci.1252 . ISSN   1214-1119. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 Whittington, H. B. et al. Part O, Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Revised, Volume 1 – Trilobita – Introduction, Order Agnostida, Order Redlichiida. 1997

Further reading