Martinssonia is an extinct genus of Cambrian arthropod from the Orsten Lagerstätte.
| Martinssonia Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Genus: | †Martinssonia Walossek & Müller, 1986 |
| Species: | †M. elongata
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Martinssonia elongata Walossek & Müller, 1986
| |
Description edit
Martinssonia is a small (roughly 1.5 mm long) arthropod, with eight pairs of appendages and ten segments including the eyeless head. It has a pair of antennae, twelve biramous appendages on its head and front two body segments and a final pair of uniramous appendages on its third segment. Martinssonia also seems to have a pleotelson, similar to modern crustacean larvae..[1]
Ecology edit
Martinssonia was presumably a benthic detritivore, stirring up food particles from the seafloor.[1]
Etymology edit
Martinssonia is named for Anders Martinsson, a former Professor of Palaeobiology at Uppsala University in Sweden. The species name, elongata, is derived from its long trunk.[1]
Distribution edit
Martinssonia is known from twenty-one specimens of different larval forms, all from the Orsten Lagerstätte in Sweden, alongside thirteen specimens now referred to as Musacaris[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c Waloszek, Dieter (July 1986). "Martinssonia elongata gen. et sp.n., a crustacean-like euarthropod from the Upper Cambrian 'Orsten' of Sweden". Zoologica Scripta. 15: 73–92. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.1986.tb00211.x. S2CID 84246646.
- ^ Haug, Joachim (14 January 2010). "High-level phylogenetic analysis using developmental sequences: The Cambrian Martinssonia elongata, Musacaris gerdgeyeri gen. et sp. nov. and their position in early crustacean evolution". Arthropod Structure and Development. 29 (2): 154–173. doi:10.1016/j.asd.2010.01.005. PMID 20097307.