Aquilonifer
Sign in to saveAquilonifer spinosus is an extinct species of arthropod from the Silurian period. It is known from a single fossil specimen found in the Wenlock Series Lagerstätte of Herefordshire, England, in rocks about 430 million years old. The 1 cm long specimen is a stem-group mandibulate, not directly related to any living species. The many-legged, eyeless adult has ten unusual tethered appendages, interpreted as juveniles attached to the parent, in a unique form and previously unknown brooding behaviour.
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Within Vinony's link graph, Aquilonifer is referenced by 14 other articles, and connects out to Animalia, Latin and Italian.
It is catalogued under topics including Fossils of England, Fossil taxa described in 2016 and Monotypic prehistoric arthropod genera.
Its subject is documented across 3 Wikipedia language editions.
Wikidata facts
- Parent taxon
- Mandibulata
- Named after
- The Kite Runner
- Image
- Aquilonifer2.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- taxon name
- Aquilonifer
- taxon rank
- genus
- Commons category
- Aquilonifer
Sources (1)
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Encyclopedic overview
4 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Description
- Paleoecology
- References
Aquilonifer spinosus is an extinct species of arthropod from the Silurian period. It is known from a single fossil specimen found in the Wenlock Series Lagerstätte of Herefordshire, England, in rocks about 430 million years old. The 1 cm long specimen is a stem-group mandibulate, not directly related to any living species. The many-legged, eyeless adult has ten unusual tethered appendages, interpreted as juveniles attached to the parent, in a unique form and previously unknown brooding behaviour.
Studies in 2018 and 2022 unexpectedly recovered Aquilonifer as a possible close relative of Pycnogonida and Marrellomorpha, suggesting that the latter is a paraphyletic group.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Aquilonifer” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.