Merlinia

Merlinia Temporal range: Early Arenig
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	†Trilobita
Order:	†Asaphida
Family:	†Asaphidae
Genus:	†Merlinia Fortey & Owens, 1987

Merlinia is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the early part of the Arenig stage of the Ordovician Period,[1] a faunal stage which lasted from approximately 478 to 471 million years ago.[1] These trilobites were named after the Welsh wizard Merlin, as the fossilised tails (pygidia) of trilobites were often mistaken for petrified butterflies, and were hence linked with mythological tales involving Merlin.[2][3]

References

1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Trilobita entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
2. "Trilobites".
3. "How trilobites conquered prehistoric oceans". National History Museum cite. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023.