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 exopodites of course furnish the chief difficulty in
interpretation. Doctor Walcott finds two sets of structures attached
to the coxopodite, a long, slender, spiral exopodite, and a short,
broad epipodite with a fringe of long setæ. Since he has given the
same interpretation for _Calymene_, _Ceraurus_, and _Acidaspis_, I
have considered the question of all three together on a preceding page
(p. 48), and given my reasons for regarding both structures as due to
sections in different directions across setiferous exopodites.
Sections like those shown in figures 11, 13, and 14 of plate 27 (1918)
happen to be cut in or near the plane of the setæ of an exopodite, and
so show hairs of considerable length. Such sections are, as would be
expected, very few in number, while sections like those shown on
figures 4, 5, 7, and 9 of plate 27, which cut the setæ more nearly at
right angles, are very common. Slices which give any definite idea of
the form of the shaft of the exopodite are exceedingly rare. Perhaps
the most satisfactory one is No. 23 (pl. 3, fig. 3, 1881), which shows
the proximal part of a long, slender, unsegmented shaft, with the
bases of a number of slender setæ. The organ is not complete, as would
be inferred from the published figure, but the section cuts diagonally
across it, and the total length is unknown. It is directed forward,
like the exopodites of Neolenus, but whether or not this is a natural
position is yet to be learned.
The proximal, non-setiferous portion of the exopodite is evidently
at an angle with the setiferous part. Another similar exopodite is
apparently shown by specimen 29 (pl. 3, fig. 9, 1881), which has a
similar angulated shaft and just a trace of the bases of the setæ.
_Pygidial Appendages._
That appendages were present under the pygidium is shown by
longitudinal sections, but nothing is known of the detail of
structure.
[Illustration: Fig. 16. Restoration of _Calymene senaria_ Conrad,
based upon data obtained from the study of the translucent sections
made by Doctor Walcott. Prepared by Doctor Elvira Wood, under the
supervision of the author. About twice natural size.]
_Relation of Hypostoma to Cephalon in Calymene._
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account