Carboniferous horseshoe crab musculature suggests anatomical conservatism within Xiphosurida

Abstract

An exceptionally preserved specimen of the horseshoe crab Euproops danae (Xiphosurida, Belinurina) in a siderite concretion from the Carboniferous (Upper Pennsylvanian, Virgilian) Lawrence Formation, Kansas, shows anatomical details of the prosomal musculature. The extrinsic appendicular muscles are comparable to those of <i>Limulus polyphemus</i> (the modern American horseshoe crab), demonstrating anatomical conservatism within Xiphosurida that spans two morphologically disparate subgroups, Belinurina and Limulina. The three-dimensional preservation of muscles highlights how siderite concretion fossils (including those of the Mazon Creek Konservat-Lagerstätte) have better preservational fidelity than previously realized and the potential to reveal new anatomical information, especially with regard to the labile tissues of euarthropods.