Experimental taphonomy of velvet worms (Onychophora) and implications for the Cambrian “explosion, disparity and decimation” model

 

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Autors: Monge-Nájera, Julián, Xianguang, Hou
Format: artículo original
Estat:Versión publicada
Data de publicació:2002
Descripció:Experimental preservation of velvet worms (phylum Onychophora), a very rare but evolutionarily important group that has existed for more than 500 million years, showed that the absence of bucal parts, adhesive- expelling organs, gonopore, eyes, legs, claws, annulation and papillation in fossils may not represent absence in the living animals. In fossils, leg thickness and claw orientation can be unreliable. The experiments indicate that not only absence, but even presence of certain structures can simply be the result of tissue decomposition. Computer-aided photorealistic reconstructions of fossil onychophorans are presented. We recommend future researchers to conduct taphonomy experiments specially before analysing unusual fossils.
Pais:Portal de Revistas UCR
Institution:Universidad de Costa Rica
Repositorio:Portal de Revistas UCR
Idioma:Inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/16722
Accés en línia:https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/16722
Access Level:acceso abierto
Paraula clau:taphonomy
cambrian
onychophora
evolution
model
fossil
photorealistic reconstruction