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A well‐preserved isopod from the M iddle J urassic of southern G ermany and implications for the isopod fossil record
Author(s) -
Etter Walter
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
palaeontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.69
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1475-4983
pISSN - 0031-0239
DOI - 10.1111/pala.12095
Subject(s) - appendage , subfamily , isopoda , biology , crustacean , paleontology , fossilization , genus , taxonomy (biology) , carcinology , dorsum , zoology , anatomy , decapoda , biochemistry , linguistics , philosophy , gene
A new isopod species, E onatatolana geisingensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from M iddle J urassic shallow‐water sediments of southern G ermany. It shows not only the almost completely preserved dorsal morphology but, in addition, details of the cephalic appendages, the pereiopods, pleopods and uropods. The presence of ambulatory pereiopods I – VII of a wide tridentate mandibular incisor with prominently developed posteriormost tooth and a narrow frontal lamina indicates that the new species belongs to the subfamily C onilerinae of family C irolanidae within the suborder C ymothoida. It is closer to the species of the modern genus N atatolana B ruce than to any fossil isopod hitherto described. The isopod fossil record as well as current practices of isopod taxonomy in palaeontology are discussed, and the facies distribution and fossilization of isopods is reviewed with examples from the J urassic.