Melbournopterus

Melbournopterus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
?Brachiopoda
Genus:
Melbournopterus

Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering, 1953

Melbournopterus is a genus of prehistoric chelicerate or brachiopod, known from the Upper Silurian of Australia. It is of uncertain taxonomic placement within the subphylum Chelicerata.[1] Lamsdell, Percival and Poschmann (2013) argued that Melbournopterus crossotus is not a chelicerate at all, and interpreted its type specimen as the dorsal valve of a craniate brachiopod.[2]

The only found specimen was found in 1953 by members of the Bendigo Field Naturalist Club, located in Heathcote, Bendigo. It was identified and named by Cincinnati University, who named it after the nearby state capital.[3]

Description

If Melbournopterus is a chelicerate, it is distinguished by its prosoma (head), which is bell-shaped and emarginate in front, with subrectangular compound eyes located posteriorly on the prosoma, which strongly converge anteriorly. It was small in size, and its abdomen and appendages are unknown.[4]

Species

  • Melbournopterus Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering, 1953
    • M. crossotus, Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering, 1953, Upper Silurian, Australia

References

  1. ^ Jason A. Dunlop; David Penney; Denise Jekel; with additional contributions from Lyall I. Anderson, Simon J. Braddy; James C. Lamsdell; Paul A. Selden & O. Erik Tetlie (2011). "A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives". In Norman I. Platnick (ed.). NMBE - World Spider Catalog, version 19.5 (PDF). American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved May 21, 2011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ James C. Lamsdell; Ian G. Percival & Markus Poschmann (2013). "The problematic 'chelicerate' Melbournopterus crossotus Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering: a case of mistaken identity". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 37 (3): 344–348. doi:10.1080/03115518.2013.764681. S2CID 128814947.
  3. ^ "The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 29 Sep 1953 - p7". Trove. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  4. ^ Størmer, L 1955. Merostomata. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata, P39.