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Trunk regionalization and functional morphology of the globally distributed trilobite Bathynotus from Cambrian Series 2 of China

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Abstract

This study presents a case in trunk regionalization and functional morphology of redlichiid trilobites, based on a globally distributed Bathynotus, collected from the base of the Kaili Formation in the late Cambrian Series 2 of China. This micropygous trilobite processed a body pattern with four types of thoracic tergites within two batches at maturity: a homonymous morphotype with similar thoracic tergite structure throughout the anterior portion of the thorax, and a heteronomous morphotype in the posterior portion of the thorax, with a pair of macropleurae in the 11th thoracic tergite and two pairs of tiny pleurae (micropleurae) in the 12th and 13th thoracic tergites. The unique morphology by regionalization in Bathynotusis considered closely related to its articulation structures and the ability to perform encapsulated enrolment, permitting the posterior trunk tergites with long pleural spines to fully cover the ventral cephalic shield during dorsal flexure. The regional integration of trunk tergites into structural regions provides the opportunity to trace the origin of their functional morphology and behavior in the evolutionary process of trilobite caudalization.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Lukáš Laibl and an anonymous reviewer for critically reading the manuscript and providing useful and detailed comments and suggestions. This work was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2017YFC0603101), Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants: 42072021, 41890844, 41890840, 41621003, 41330101, 41521061, 41290260), the 111 Project (Grant No. D17013), the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2015FY310100), the National Commission on Stratigraphy of China (Grant No. DD20160120-04), the key project of the State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics (Grant No. 201210128), IGCP 668 project “The Stratigraphic and Magmatic History of Early Paleozoic Equatorial Gondwana and its associated Evolutionary Dynamics”, the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB26000000)and Key Scientific, Technological Innovation Team Project in Shaanxi Province, State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS) (Grant No. 20191101).

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  1. State Key Laboratory for Continental Dynamics and Geology Department, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environments, Northwest University, Xian, 710069, People’s Republic of China

    Kaiyu Yang, Tao Dai & Xingliang Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, Nanjing, 210008, People’s Republic of China

    Shanchi Peng

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Yang, K., Dai, T., Zhang, X. et al. Trunk regionalization and functional morphology of the globally distributed trilobite Bathynotus from Cambrian Series 2 of China. PalZ 95, 373–385 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-021-00557-8

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