Punk ferox

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Punk ferox
Temporal range: Homerian
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Punk ferox holotype.webp
Holotype fossil of Punk ferox
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Aplacophora
Genus: Punk
Sutton et al, 2025
Species:
P. ferox
Binomial name
Punk ferox
Sutton et al, 2025

Punk ferox is a species of aplacophoran mollusc known from the Homerian Coalbrookdale Formation of England. It is the only species within the genus Punk. [1]

Contents

Description

Punk is elongate and vermiform, with rounded anterior and posterior ends. The dorsal surface bears a median ridge which widens near the anterior, with a low hump near the midpoint. The flanks of the ridge become more dorsolateral, meeting at the posterior tip of the animal. It lacks valves, instead bearing many long upwards-facing spines (likely mineralised spicules), with these fanning out near the anterior and the anterior margin bearing shorter "head spines". The dorsal surface is better preserved than the ventral, with a sharp margin between the two. The head is short with a subcylindrical boss possibly representing a buccal mass, alongside a sub-semicircular possible anterior plate. The posterior portion of Punk's trunk bears around 25 subconical projections near the median ridge, likely gills. A thin plate is preserved inside this ridge, likely displaced from an unknown original position. [1]

Etymology

The genus name Punk derives from a "fancied resemblance of the spicule array to the spiked hairstyles associated with the punk rock movement". The species name ferox translates to "bold" or "defiant", with no reason given. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Sutton, Mark D.; Sigwart, Julia D.; Briggs, Derek E. G.; Gueriau, Pierre; King, Andrew; Siveter, David J.; Siveter, Derek J. (8 January 2025). "New Silurian aculiferan fossils reveal complex early history of Mollusca". Nature. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08312-0 . PMC   11735398 .