Chamaesipho grebneffi

Chamaesipho grebneffi
Temporal range: Oligocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Maxillopoda
Infraclass: Cirripedia
Order: Sessilia
Suborder: Balanomorpha
Superfamily: Chthamaloidea
Family: Chthamalidae
Subfamily: Notochthamalinae
Genus: Chamaesipho
Species: C. grebneffi

Chamaesipho grebneffi is the first extinct member of the Notochthamalinae to be described, and the oldest chthamaloid barnacle known. This species is a fully derived Chamaesipho, and indicates a considerable antiquity for Chthamaloidea.

Three extinct species of Chthamalus from the middle Miocene of the faluns of Touraine, France were described in 2008 by Carriol.[1] the New Zealand species is Oligocene, and considerably older.

Discussion

Like the three living species of Chamaesipho, the shell of C. grebneffi begins with 6 plates, fusing completely at about 2 mm diameter. Freegrown specimens show a stellate basal outline. The scutum is highly distinctive in tergal margin equal in length to basal margin. In all other Chamaesipho, tergal margin is much shorter than basal.[2]:7 The tergum is not definitely identified.

Chamaesipho grebneffi is interpreted, from wear patterns on the shell, to have occupied high littoral positions on shore. Entire assemblage described by Buckeridge indicates shallow agitated waters of several habitat zones.[2]:10

Nomenclature

References

  1. Carriol, R.-P. (2008). "New genus and new species of Cirripedia (Chthamalidae, Tetraclitidae, Archaeobalanidae and Balanidae) from the Middle Miocene of the faluns of Touraine (France)". Zootaxa 1675: 31–48.
  2. 1 2 3 Buckeridge, J. S.; D. E. Lee; J. H. Robinson (2014-02-19). "A diverse shallow-water barnacle assemblage (Cirripedia: Sessilia) from the Oligocene of Southland, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. doi:10.1080/00288306.2013.873472.
  3. Buckeridge, J. S. (1983b). "Fossil barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica) of New Zealand and Australia". New Zealand Geological Survey Paleontological Bulletin 50.

External links

Data related to Chamaesipho grebneffi at Wikispecies

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, August 27, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.