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 in Triarthrus consist of a proximal shaft, succeeded by
numerous short segments, and ending distally in a long, grooved,
somewhat spatula-shaped segment. Along the anterior margin of the
shaft there are many small spines. Along the posterior margin there
are numerous flattened setæ, which all lie in one plane and which seem
to be more or less united to one another like the barbs of a feather.
The setæ are short, not much longer than the width of one of the
thoracic segments, and point backward and outward. In _Cryptolithus_
the shaft does not seem to be made up of small segments, and is
narrow, with a decided backward curve. The setæ are considerably
longer and much more flattened than in Triarthrus. In _Calymene_ the
state of preservation does not allow a very full knowledge of the
exopodites, but they appear to have a slender, unjointed shaft and
short and delicate setæ. The coiled branches of the exopodites as
described by Walcott seem to me to be only ordinary Triarthrus-like
organs, and this, as I understand from Schuchert, was also the view of
Beecher. In _Ceraurus_ the exopodite seems to have been somewhat
paddle-shaped, expanded at the distal end, and to have had rather
thick, blade-like setæ.
The exopodite of _Neolenus_ is decidedly leaf-like, and reminds one
somewhat of the exites of some of the phyllopods. The shaft is a
broad unsegmented blade. The setæ are slender, delicate, flattened,
and a little longer than the width of the shaft. The exopodites
of this genus point forward all along the body. In _Kootenia_ the
exopodites are like those of _Neolenus_, but with a narrower shaft.
The exopodites of _Ptychoparia_ appear to be very much like those of
Triarthrus, but the shaft is probably not segmented.
The endopodites of the thorax of _Triarthrus_, _Cryptolithus_, and
_Acidaspis_ show progressive modification from front to back in the
broadening of the individual segments and the assumption by them of
a triangular form. Not only do the individual segments become more
triangular from front to back, but more of the segments of each
endopodite become triangular. This modification has so far been seen
in these three genera only. The individual segments, except the distal
ones, seem to be flattened in all these genera. The distal end of the
terminal segment of each endopodite of _Triarthrus_ bears three small
movable spines, and each of the segments usually bears three or
more spines, located in sockets along the dorsal surface and at
the anterior distal angle of each segment. The endopodite of
_Cryptolithus_ is bent backward at the carpopodite and this segment
is always thickened. At the distal end of the dactylopodite there
is a tuft of spines, the triangular segments have tufts of spines on
their posterior corners, and there are groups of spines also in the
neighborhood of the articulations.
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