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A new chasmataspid (Chelicerata: Chasmataspida) from the Lower Devonian of the Midland Valley of Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

Jason A. Dunlop ,
Lyall I. Anderson  and
Simon J. Braddy
Simon J. Braddy
Affiliation:
Institut für Systematische Zoologie, Museum für Naturkunde, D-10115 Berlin, Germany Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, U.K. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, U.K.
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Abstract

A new chasmataspid (Chelicerata, Chasmataspida) is described as Forfarella mitchelli gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Devonian of Scotland. This species is problematic in that it was catalogued under the name Forfarella mitchelli Waterston (no date), but was never formally described. Furthermore, its type locality is uncertain. Chasmataspids are a poorly known taxon within Chelicerata which appear to be closely related to eurypterids. F. mitchelli is only the fourth chasmataspid species to be described. Though poorly preserved, it shows affinities with other Devonian chasmataspids and supports the hypothesis that this group may have been more geographically widespread in the Devonian than has previously been recognised.

Keywords

ArbroathForfarella
Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 89 , Issue 3 , 1998 , pp. 161 - 165
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1998

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