Weymouthia (trilobite)

Last updated

Weymouthia
Temporal range: Lower Cambrian
Weymouthia nobilis linedrawing.jpg
Llinedrawing of Weymouthia nobilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Weymouthia

Raymond, 1913
Type species
Agnostus nobilis
Ford, 1872
Species
  • Weymouthia nobilis(Ford, 1872) ( syn. Agnostus nobilis
  • Weymouthia caudata(Delgado, 1904) (syn. Delgadella souzai caudata)
  • Weymouthia emericiCzarnocki
  • Weymouthia minorEgorova, 1961
  • Weymouthia tchernyshevaeEgorova, 1961

Weymouthia is an extinct genus of eodiscinid agnostid trilobites, which lived at the end of the Lower Cambrian, in what are now the eastern United States, England, Siberia and China.

Contents

Description

Like all Agnostida, Weymouthia is diminutive and the headshield (or cephalon) and tailshield (or pygidium) are of approximately the same size (or isopygous) and outline. Like all Weymouthiidae, Weymouthia lacks eyes and rupture lines (or sutures). The headshield (or cephalon) is approximately as long as wide, lacks facial sutures and is eyeless. The tailshield (or pygidium) is about 1.2× as wide as long. Both are effaced except for a furrow close to their borders. The cephalic border bears lateral tubercles. The thorax consists of three segments. [1]

Etymology

Weymouthia is named after Weymouth, Massachusetts. [2]

Distribution

Remarks

Fletcher & Theokritoff (2008) [4] designated Shaw's (1950, pl. 79, fig. 24) [5] specimen of “ Weymouthia nobilis (Ford, 1872)” [6] as the holotype of a new species, Serrodiscus weymouthioides, and considered Runcinodiscus Rushton (in Bassett et al., 1976) [7] [= ?Weymouthia nobilis (Ford, 1872)] to be a junior synonym of Serrodiscus; Rushton (1976) had previously regarded Weymouthia and Runcinodiscus as closely allied with Serrodiscus. Weymouthia nobilis (Ford 1872), first described from the Taconic region of New York State, is also recorded from the Protolenus Limestone (Ac5) [Protolenid-Strenuellid Zone] at Comley, Shropshire, England (Cobbold 1931),> [8] but Rushton (in Bassett et al., 1976, p. 637) showed that the English specimens are specifically distinct from W. nobilis as described by Ford (1872), and thus erected his new genus and species, Runcinodiscus index Rushton (in Bassett et al. 1976, p. 636-7).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redlichiida</span> Extinct order of trilobites

Redlichiida is an order of trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods. Species assigned to the order Redlichiida are among the first trilobites to appear in the fossil record, about halfway during the Lower Cambrian. Due to the difficulty to relate sediments in different areas, there remains some discussion, but among the earliest are Fallotaspis, and Lemdadella, both belonging to this order. The first representatives of the orders Corynexochida and Ptychopariida also appear very early on and may prove to be even earlier than any redlichiid species. In terms of anatomical comparison, the earliest redlichiid species are probably ancestral to all other trilobite orders and share many primitive characters. The last redlichiid trilobites died out before the end of the Middle Cambrian.

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

Agnostus is a genus of agnostid trilobites, belonging to the family Agnostidae, that lived during the late Middle Cambrian – early Upper Cambrian. It is the type genus of the family Agnostidae and is subdivided into two subgenera, Agnostus and Homagnostus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradoxididae</span> Extinct family of trilobites

The Paradoxididae are a family of trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods. They occurred during the late Lower Cambrian (Toyonian) and disappeared at the end of the Middle Cambrian. Representatives of this family have been found in the paleocontinents of Avalonia, Baltica, and Gondwana, now Canada, USA, England, Wales, Morocco, Spain, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Mongolia, and Turkey. Species in this family can typically grow large to very large, are relatively flat, have an inverted egg-shaped outline, opisthoparian sutures, a glabella that in early genera has parallel sides and expands forward in later representatives, and approaches or reaches the frontal border. All species have an almost semicircular headshield with long backward-directed genal spines. The articulate middle part of the body consists of 15 to 21 segments ending in sickle-shaped spines that to the back curve increasingly further backwards. The tailshield is small.

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

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> Extinct genus of trilobites

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.

<i>Bolboparia</i>

Bolboparia is an extinct genus of eodiscinid agnostid trilobites. It lived during the late Lower Cambrian in what today Canada and the United States.

<i>Oodiscus</i>

Oodiscus is an extinct genus of small size trilobite, with three known species. It lived during the Toyonian in what are now Canada and the USA.

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.

Parapagetia 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 524 to 518.5 million years ago. This faunal stage was part of the Cambrian Period.

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

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.

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.

Runcinodiscus Rushton is a genus of Lower Cambrian Eodiscinid trilobite belonging to the family Weymouthiidae, Order Agnostida.

Egyngolia is a genus of very small sized Trilobites, that lived during the Lower Cambrian in what are today the Russia Federation, Mongolia, and South Australia.

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

Litometopus is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the Botomian stage.

<i>Morocconus</i> Genus of trilobites

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>Thoracocare</i> Extinct genus of trilobites

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.

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

Toragnostus is a genus of trilobites restricted to the late Middle Cambrian. Its remains have been found in the United States, Greenland, Denmark, China, Sweden, the Russian Federation, and Kazakhstan. Its headshield and tailshield are almost completely effaced and it has two thorax segments.

The Calodiscidae Kobayashi, 1943 [nom. transl. Öpik, 1975 ex Calodiscinae Kobayashi, 1943] 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 Calodiscidae includes five genera.

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

Serrodiscus Richter and Richter 1941. is a genus of Eodiscinid trilobite belonging to the family Weymouthiidae Kobayashi T. (1943), Order Agnostida. It lived during the late Lower Cambrian, with remains found in Canada, China (Gansu), The United Kingdom (England), Germany (Silesia), Poland, the Russian Federation, and the United States. It is named for the spines on the ventral side of the pygidium, which give it a serrated impression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradoxidoidea</span> Extinct superfamily of trilobites

The Paradoxidoidea Hawle & Corda 1847, are a superfamily of trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods. They occurred during the late Lower Cambrian (Toyonian) and disappeared at the end of the Middle Cambrian.

References

  1. WHITTINGTON, H. B. et al. Part O, Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Revised, Volume 1 – Trilobita – Introduction, Order Agnostida, Order Redlichiida. 1997
  2. "Weymouth, MA, history" . Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  3. HINZ, I. (1987). "The Lower Cambrian microfauna of Comley and Rushton, Shropshire, England". Palaeontographica Abteilung A. 198 (1–3): 41–100. cited in Paleobiology Database. "Weymouthia nobilis".
  4. FLETCHER, T. P. & THEOKRITOFF, G., 2008. The Early Cambrian of eastern Massachusetts. Northeastern Geology and Environmental Science, 30, 301-329.
  5. SHAW, A. B., 1950. A revision of several Early Cambrian trilobites from eastern Massachusetts. Journal of Paleontology, 24, 577-590.
  6. FORD, S. W., 1872. Descriptions of some new species of primordial fossils. American Journal of Science, Series 3, 3, pp. 419-422.
  7. BASSETT M. G., OWENS R. M., and RUSHTON A. W. A. 1976. Lower Cambrian fossils from the Hell’s Mouth Grits, Journal of the Geological Society, 132 (6): 623 – 644.
  8. Cobbold, Edgar Sterling (March 1931). "Additional Fossils from the Cambrian Rocks of Comley, Shropshire". Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. 87 (1–4): 459–512. doi:10.1144/GSL.JGS.1931.087.01-04.17. S2CID   129469096.