Peachella brevispina
- 演化之聲
- Mar 18
- 1 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Age
Cambrian（"Stage 4"）
514 Ma
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Trilobita
Order: Redlichiida
Family: Olenellidae
Genus: Peachella
Species: Peachella brevispina
Morphological description
Peachella brevispina is a medium-sized trilobite, reaching approximately 3.5 cm in length. The cephalon is semicircular, with a columnar glabella. The genal spines are broad but relatively short. The third thoracic segment bears an exceptionally robust pleural spine, and the pygidium is extremely reduced.
Etymology
Peach: in honor of the British geologist B. N. Peach
brevi: Latin, meaning short
spina: Latin, meaning spine
Biological description
Fossils of Peachella brevispina have been collected from regions of California, USA. Like most early trilobites, it possessed a thin and flattened exoskeleton. Its most distinctive feature is the extremely robust pleural spine on the third thoracic segment. Compared with the type species, Peachella iddingsi, this species is characterized by smaller genal spines and a pleural spine that is thicker and shorter.
Like most members of the Olenellina, it was likely a benthic organism inhabiting marine environments.
（Author: Bai Leng）
References
J.H. Stitt & R.L. Clark (1984). A Complete Specimen Of Peachella-Brevispina - An Unusual Olenellid Trilobite Arthropoda Olenellida From The Lower Cambrian Of California. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History
M. Webster (2009). Ontogeny, Systematics, and Evolution of the effaced Early Cambrian trilobites Peachella Walcott, 1910 and Eopeachella new genus (Olenellidea). Journal of Paleontology
白水. 三葉蟲圖鑑 V1.1
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