A new limulid genus from the Strelovec Formation (Middle Triassic, Anisian) of northern Slovenia

Title
A new limulid genus from the Strelovec Formation (Middle Triassic, Anisian) of northern Slovenia
Publication Date
2019-12
Author(s)
Bicknell, Russell D C
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8541-9035
Email: rbickne2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:rbickne2
Zalohar, Jure
Miklavc, Primoz
Celarc, Bogomir
Kriznar, Matija
Hitij, Tomaz
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1017/S0016756819000323
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/27442
Abstract
Horseshoe crabs are an archetypal chelicerate group with a fossil record extending back to Early Ordovician time. Although extensively studied, the group generally has a low diversity across the Phanerozoic Eonothem. Here, we expand the known diversity of true horseshoe crabs (Xiphosurida) by the description of a new taxon from the Middle Triassic Strelovec Formation of the Slovenian Alps. The mostly complete fossil is preserved as an external mould and assigned to the family Limulidae Zittel, 1881 as Sloveniolimulus rudkini, n. gen., n. sp. The use of landmark and semilandmark geometric morphometrics is explored to corroborate the systematic palaeontology and suggests that the new genus and species are valid. We also provide the first quantitative evidence for the extensive diversity of Triassic horseshoe crabs. We suggest that Triassic horseshoe crabs likely filled many ecological niches left vacant after the end-Permian extinction.
Link
Citation
Geological Magazine, 156(12), p. 2017-2030
ISSN
1469-5081
0016-7568
Start page
2017
End page
2030
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

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