Welsh “Strange Wonder” Fossils Complete The Picture Of The Evolution Of Arthropods
A new fossil species have been found in a fossil deposit close to Llandrindod Wells in central Wales, according to an international team of experts. The fossil, Mierridduryn bonnie, is 40 million years younger than Opabinia yet shares many characteristics with it. Mierridduryn may be the third opacified to be found, according to robust phylogenetic analysis, or it may represent a unique group important for understanding the development of arthropod heads.
A unique fossil deposit containing two new creatures that remarkably resemble Opabinia and document life 40 million years after the Cambrian explosion is described. This deposit was found during the COVID-19 lockdowns by independent researchers Dr. Joseph Botting and Dr. Lucy Muir, who are both from Llandrindod and Honorary Research Fellows at Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales. It was found in a sheep field close to Llandrindod Wells in mid-Wales (UK).
The quarry has a reputation for producing new species of fossil sponges, one of several local sites that do so.
Two incredibly surprising remnants of the Cambrian strange wonders are among the fossils that have been found so far. Pates met with Botting and Muir to examine the specimens using microscopes that were funded by crowdsourcing. The larger specimen was 13 mm in size, while the smaller one was only 3 mm (for comparison Opabinia specimens can be 20 times as long).
During this visit, in-depth analyses uncovered more information about the new specimens. Some of these characteristics are also present in Opabinia, including the tail fan with blades that resemble Opabinia’s recently discovered sister, Utaurora, and the triangular, squishy lobopod ‘legs’ for interacting with the sediment. Other characteristics, such as the existence of spines on the proboscis and the presence of sclerites covering the head, were not associated with any opabiniid but rather suggested connections with radiodonts, such as Anomalocaris. The researchers questioned whether the variations between the two specimens were the result of modifications that occurred throughout the growth of one species or whether they instead suggested that two different species were present in this unique deposit.
The new fossils were compared to 57 other contemporary and extinct arthropods, radiodonts, and panarthropods using phylogenetic analysis to identify where they fit into the evolution of arthropods.
Some of the earliest discoveries from this significant new Ordovician fauna include these tiny yet scientifically potent fossils. There is still more work for Botting and Muir to do in the tiny quarry in the sheep field.
News Mania Desk
