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Not the first leech: An unusual worm from the early Silurian of Wisconsin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 September 2023

Simon J. Braddy ,
Kenneth C. Gass Open the ORCID record for Kenneth C. Gass [Opens in a new window]  and
Michael Tessler
Simon J. Braddy
Affiliation:
Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
Kenneth C. Gass*
Affiliation:
Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, USA
Michael Tessler
Affiliation:
Biology Department, Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York 11225, USA Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York 10024, USA
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

An unusual worm, previously interpreted as the earliest leech, is described from the early Silurian (Llandovery, Telychian) Brandon Bridge Formation Lagerstätte (Waukesha Biota) of Wisconsin (~437 Ma). Lacking preserved internal organs, it is up to ~16 cm long, 8.2 mm wide, with ~250 annulations and a circular structure at one end, interpreted here as the broken end of a molt. It is therefore referred to Cycloneuralia incertae sedis.

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Journal of Paleontology , Volume 97 , Issue 4 , July 2023 , pp. 799 - 804
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Paleontological Society

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