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Teratological trilobites from the Silurian (Wenlock and Ludlow) of Australia

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Abstract

Documentation of malformed trilobites has presented invaluable insight into the palaeobiology of a wholly extinct euarthropod group. Although the northern hemisphere record is relatively well documented, examples of abnormal trilobites from Australia are limited. Furthermore, most recorded specimens are from Cambrian-aged rocks. To extend this limited record, we document five new examples of malformed Australian trilobites from the Middle and Late Silurian (Wenlock and Ludlow) deposits of the Yarralumla Formation of the Australian Capital Territory and Yarwood Siltstone Member, Black Bog Shale in New South Wales. We record the first examples of abnormal pygidial and thoracic nodes and present new evidence for bifurcating pygidial ribs. These abnormal features are considered teratological morphologies. The aberrant nodes likely arose through developmental malfunctions, while the bifurcating ribs represent either similar defects, or an injury that developed into a teratological feature. Explanations for the limited record of malformed Australian trilobites and for the decrease in injured trilobites after the end-Ordovician are presented. Further documentation of malformed Australian trilobites from the middle-to-late Paleozoic will undoubtedly paint a more complete picture of how Gondwanan taxa recovered from injuries or unfortunate developmental complications.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funding from a UNE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (to R.D.C.B). We thank Matthew McCurry of the Australian Museum, Sydney, for generously allowing access to the specimens under his care and kindly allowing PMS to use the museum’s palaeobiology laboratory. Finally, we thank two anonymous reviewers and the associate editor Julien Denayer for their constructive suggestions that improved the text.

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  1. Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    Russell D. C. Bicknell

  2. Palaeontology Department, Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia

    Patrick M. Smith

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia

    Patrick M. Smith

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  1. Russell D. C. Bicknell
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Correspondence to Russell D. C. Bicknell.

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Communicated by: Julien Denayer.

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Bicknell, R.D.C., Smith, P.M. Teratological trilobites from the Silurian (Wenlock and Ludlow) of Australia. Sci Nat 108, 58 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-021-01766-6

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