FOSSIL RECORD 7

FOSSIL RECORD 7

Author: Spencer G. Lucas

Publisher: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

Published: 2021-04-01

Total Pages: 578

ISBN-13:

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Ontogeny, Intraspecific Variation, and Systematics of the Late Cambrian Trilobite Dikelocephalus

Ontogeny, Intraspecific Variation, and Systematics of the Late Cambrian Trilobite Dikelocephalus

Author: Nigel C. Hughes

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 728

ISBN-13:

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Biometric analyses of well-localized specimens of the trilobite Dikelocephalus from the St. Lawrence Formation (Upper Cambrian), northern Mississippi Valley, suggest that all specimens belong to a single, highly variable morphospecies, D. minnesotensis. A complex pattern of ontogenetically-related and ontogeny-independent variation produced a mosaic of morphotypes, which show greater diversity than previously recorded within trilobite species. There is considerable variation within collections made from single beds. Variations of characters among collections are mosaic, and are clinal in some cases. Patterns of variation within Dikelocephalus cannot be related to lithofacies occurrence. There are no obvious temporal variations in D. minnesotensis within the St. Lawrence Formation, but some Dikelocephalus from the underlying Tunnel City Group may belong to a different taxon. The validity of this early taxon is questionable due to a lack of available material. The mosaic pattern of variation in Dikelocephalus mimics that documented at higher taxonomic levels in primitive libristomate trilobites, and helps explain difficulties in providing a workable taxonomy of primitive trilobites. Results caution proposition of evolutionary scenarios that do not take account of intraspecific variation. The recovery of dorsal shields of Dikelocephalus permits the first detailed reconstruction of the entire exoskeleton. The systematics of the genus is revised and twenty-five species are suppressed as junior synonyms of D. minnesotensis.


Papers from the 6th International Conference on Trilobites and their Relatives

Papers from the 6th International Conference on Trilobites and their Relatives

Author: Alan W. Owen

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-04-15

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 111956431X

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A volume from a monograph series featuring seven papers on trilobites with brief summaries This research volume is entitled Papers from the 6th International Conference on Trilobites and their Relatives. It's Volume 64 within the Fossils and Strata monograph series. The research compilation originated from a 2017 conference in Estonia. Seven papers on trilobites are included with summaries in the publication. The papers' topics cover trilobites from the Early Cambrian to the Late Devonian.