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
Both sides of specimen 235 were figured, but the dorsal side was
apparently then somewhat less fully developed than at present. On
plate 9 are two figures in which specimens 235 and 236 are brought
together again, and both dorsal and ventral sides illustrated.
On the dorsal side, specimen 235 shows portions of three exopodites
which lie in a direction roughly parallel to the outer portions of the
endopodites on the lower side, that is, their direction if projected
would reach the axis in an acute angle back of the end of the
pygidium. The setæ stand at right angles to the shaft, and on a
portion of it 0.5 mm. long there are seven of them. This is a fragment
of an exopodite near the front of the thorax, and the setæ, which are
flattened, are about 1.63 mm. long.
On the ventral side this same specimen shows incomplete endopodites
and exopodites of about seventeen segments, six of which would belong
to the thorax and the remainder to the pygidium. The greater part of
the appendages belonging to the pygidium are exceedingly small (about
0.15 mm. long) and so incompletely exposed that the structure can not
be definitely made out.
The endopodites of the thoracic segments all lack the greater part of
their proximal segments and are all of practically the same form. They
turn abruptly backward at the outer end of the meropodite, and the
carpopodite of each is greatly widened, projects inward and is armed
with tufts of spines. The propodite and dactylopodite are wide,
flattened, and taper but slightly outward, the dactylopodite bearing
on its distal end a tuft of spines. On several of the endopodites, the
meropodites are visible and they bear on their inner ends fringes of
spines pointing inward. Behind these well preserved appendages the
proximal segments of several endopodites are visible, and a regular
succession of flattened, oval bodies armed with numerous
forward-pointing spines. These latter bodies Professor Beecher took to
be leaf-like exopodites, which they certainly resemble, and as they
lie beyond the line of endopodites they probably do belong to the
outer halves of the appendages.
The exopodites under the thorax are long, the shaft shows numerous
short segments, and is in each case bent backward, though not through
a right angle. They extend considerably beyond the endopodites. The
setæ do not diverge from the shaft at a right angle as on the dorsal
side of this same specimen, but at an acute angle, indicating that
they were not rigid. The individual hairs are broad and blade-shaped,
frequently with a linear depression along the median line, perhaps due
to collapse of the internal tube.
_Measurements:_ The greatest length of the fragment in its present
state is 5 mm. The dactylopodite of the second endopodite (without
terminal spines) is 0.18 mm. long, the propodite 0.23 mm. long and
0.15 mm. wide; the carpopodite is 0.24 mm. long and 0.38 mm. wide. All
measurements were made on the photographs.
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