Morphology, distribution, life habits and phylogenetic affinities of the recent brachiopod Gwynia capsula (Jeffreys)
In: Marine Ecology (Berlin). Blackwell: Berlin. ISSN 0173-9565; e-ISSN 1439-0485, more
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Gwynia capsula (Jeffreys, 1859) [WoRMS]
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| Authors | | Top |
- Logan, A.
- MacKinnon, D.I.
- Phorson, J.E.
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| Abstract |
For more than a century, the Recent micromorphic trocholophous brachiopod Gwynia capsula (Jeffreys ) has remained inadequately understood. In this paper we provide new information on its life habits and geographic distribution and present a revised morphological description which corrects inaccuracies in various descriptions of the species. We also note the suppression of punctation in four specimens of G. capsula in an otherwise morphologically normal population from Connemara. Eire. We reject past suggestions by some authors that Gwynia may represent the juvenile stage of some other brachiopod. G. capsula is compared to the diminutive Recent brachiopod Argyrotheca cistellala (Searles ‐Wood ). with which it often occurs, and also with the Middle Jurassic micromorph Zellania davidsoni Moore . On the basis of a morphological comparison between Gwynia and Zellania , a case is made for considering Gwynia as a paedomorphic descendant of Zellania , notwithstanding the considerable time gap separating the two forms. Their systematic positions with respect to other tere‐bratulide genera have, however, yet to be resolved. |
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