The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of TrilobitesRaymond, Percy E. (Percy Edward)
Science
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites
Raymond, Percy E. (Percy Edward)
Trilobites
The chief likenesses are, however, seen in the very young. On the germ
band there appear a pair of buds in front of the rudiments of the
cheliceræ which later unite to form the rostrum of the adult. At the
time these buds appear, the cheliceræ are post-oral, but afterward
move forward so that both rostrum and cheliceræ are in front of the
mouth. The rostrum is therefore the product of the union of the
antennules, and the cheliceræ are to be homologized with the antennæ.
There seems to be some doubt about the homology of the pedipalps with
the mandibles, as at least one investigator claims to have found
rudiments of a segment between the one bearing the cheliceræ and that
with the pedipalps.
Jaworowski (Zool. Anzeiger, 1891, p. 173, fig. 4) has figured the
pedipalp from the germ band of _Trochosa singoriensis_, and called
attention to the fact that it consists of a coxopodite and two
segmented branches which may be interpreted as exopodite and
endopodite. He designated as exopodite the longer branch which
persists in the adult, but since the ambulatory legs of Crustacea are
endopodites, that would seem a more likely interpretation. As the
figure is drawn, the so-called endopodite would appear to spring from
the proximal segment of the "exopodite." If the two terms were
interchanged, the homology with the limb of the trilobite or other
crustacean would be quite perfect.
In the young, the abdomen is segmented and the anterior segments
develop limb-buds, the first pair of which become the lung books and
the last two pairs the spinnerets of the adult. There seems to be some
question about the number of segments. Montgomery (Jour. Morphology,
vol. 20, 1909, p. 337). reviewing the literature, finds that from
eight to twelve have been seen in front of the anal segment. The
number seem to vary with the species studied. This of course suggests
connection with the anomomeristic trilobites.
The oldest true spiders are found in the Pennsylvanian, and several
genera are now known. The head and thorax are fused completely, but
the abdomen is distinctly segmented. Some of the Anthracomarti
resemble the trilobites more closely than do the Araneæ, as they lack
the constriction between the cephalothorax and abdomen. The spiders of
the Pennsylvanian have this constriction less perfectly developed than
do modern Araneæ, and occupy an intermediate position in this respect.
In the Anthracomarti, the pedipalpi are simple, pediform, and all the
appendages have very much the appearance of the coxopodites and
endopodites of trilobites. Cheliceræ are not known, and pleural lobes
are well developed in this group. Anthracomarti have not yet been
found in strata older than the Pennsylvanian, but they seem to be to a
certain extent intermediate between true spiders and the marine
arachnid.
Insecta.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account