Silurian Ostracod Respiratory System Fossil Data

Paleontological data on a new ostracod species, Spiricopia aurita, from the Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte in the UK, dated to 430 million years ago. It documents exceptionally rare soft-part preservation, including details of the respiratory and circulatory systems such as gill lamellae and associated canals.

Use Cases

• Analyze the morphology of the five pairs of gill lamellae described in the fossil.
• Study the evolution of the circulatory system based on the presence of hypobranchial and epibranchial canals.
• Compare the respiratory structures of Spiricopia aurita with other fossil and extant ostracod species.
• Investigate the paleoecology of the Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte using the described ostracod specimen.

Strengths

• Data originates from a well-preserved fossil in the Herefordshire Lagerstätte, a renowned conservation deposit.
• Provides rare evidence of soft-part preservation in ostracods, specifically detailing respiratory and circulatory anatomy.
• The specimen is precisely dated to the mid-Silurian period, approximately 430 million years ago.

Limitations

• The dataset is based on a single described specimen, limiting statistical or population-level analysis.
• The specific data format, columns, and sample size are unknown from the provided input.
• The fossil represents a specific marine environment from the Silurian UK, which may limit geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

David J. Siveter

Collection Method

Paleontological analysis of a fossil specimen from the Herefordshire Lagerstätte.

Time Range

Silurian period, approximately 430 million years ago.

Freshness

2020-06-24

Geography

Herefordshire Lagerstätte, United Kingdom.