| Aquilonifer Temporal range: Wenlock ~ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aquilonifer spinosus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| (unranked): | stem-group Mandibulata |
| Genus: | Aquilonifer |
| Species: | A. spinosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Aquilonifer spinosus Briggs, Siveter, Siveter, Sutton & Legg 2016[1] | |
Aquilonifer spinosus is an extinct species of arthropod from the Silurian period.[2][3] It is known from a single fossil specimen found in the Wenlock Series Lagerstätte of Herefordshire, England, in rocks about 430 million years old. The 1 cm long specimen is a stem-group mandibulate, not directly related to any living species. The many-legged, eyeless adult has ten unusual tethered appendages, interpreted as juveniles attached to the parent, in a unique form and previously unknown brooding behaviour.[1]
Etymology
"Aquilone" is Italian for "toy kite", and the suffix "–ifer" means "to carry".[3] "Spinosus" means "spiny" in Latin. Its discoverers have nicknamed it "the kite runner".[2]
References
- 1 2 Briggs, DEG, Siveter, David J, Siveter, Derek J, Sutton, MD and Legg, D, 2016, Tiny individuals attached to a new Silurian arthropod suggest a unique mode of brood care, PNAS Online
- 1 2 Jonathan Webb, BBC News, 4 April 2016, Bizarre fossil hauled its offspring around 'like kites'
- 1 2 Cassie Martin, ScienceNews, 4 April 2016 Ancient arthropod kept its brood close
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