27 Paleontology: Descriptive Paleontology, Biogeography, and Biostratigraphy (Posters)
Sunday, 4 November 2012
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Hall B
A NEW ENIGMATIC ARTHROPOD FROM THE CAMBRIAN WEEKS FORMATION, UTAH
Paper number: 27-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Authors
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Rudy Lerosey-AubrilSenckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt-am-Main, N/A
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Enrico BoninoBack to the Past Museum, Quintana Roo, N/A
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Carlos KierBack to the Past Museum, Quintana Roo, N/A
Abstract
The Weeks Formation is one of three Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten that occur in the House Range of central Utah. While the trilobites from this locality have long been known to paleontologists, the soft-bodied fauna is only beginning to receive scientific attention. Here we describe two specimens belonging to an enigmatic soft-bodied arthropod. The first specimen is an ensemble of appendages, which comprises two pairs of antennae-like structures and six robust, grasping-like appendages. The second specimen is an isolated appendage of the grasping type. The most complete specimen has undergone significant post-mortem distortion/disarticulation, as evidenced by its ambiguous plane of symmetry. We discuss various hypotheses about its morphology and affinities. This includes the possibility that this ensemble of appendages belonged to a single organism having either two pairs of antennae or a single pair of biramous antennae.