Asaphiscus

Asaphiscus; Temporal range: 510–499 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Middle Cambrian
	Asaphiscus wheeleri, Cambrian shale,Utah
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Trilobita
Order:	Ptychopariida
Family:	Asaphiscidae
Genus:	Asaphiscus; Meek, 1873
Species
	A. wheeleri Meek, 1873 (type) ; A. laeviceps (Walcott, 1884) = Ptychoparia laeviceps, Eteraspis laeviceps ;
Synonyms
	Eteraspis

Asaphiscus is a genus of trilobite that lived in the Cambrian. Its remains have been found in Australia and North America, especially in Utah.

*Asaphiscus wheeleri*, from the Wheeler shale of the House Range of Utah.

Distribution

A. wheeleri occurs in the Middle Cambrian of the United States (Delamaran, Lower Wheeler Shale, Millard County, Utah, 40.0°N, 113.0°W;^[1] and Menevian, Wheeler Formation, House Range, Utah, 39.2° N, 113.3° W).^[2]

Description

Asaphiscus are average size trilobites of (upto 8 centimetres or 3.1 inches) with a rather flat calcified dorsal exoskeleton of inverted egg-shaped outline, about 1½× longer than wide, with the widest point near the back of the headshield (or cephalon. The articulated middle part of the body (or thorax) has 9 segments (in A. wheeleri). The tailshield (or pygidium) has a wide flat border.

Reassigned species

Some species originally described as belonging to Asaphiscus have later been reassigned to other genera.^[3]

A. capella = Glyphaspis capella
A. granulatus = Genevievella granulata
A. gregarius = Blainia gregarius
A. minor = Cedaria minor
A. unispinus = Weeksina unispina

Sources

A Pictorial Guide to Fossils by Gerard Ramon Case

References

^ Conway Morris, S.; Robison, R.A. (1986). "Middle Cambrian priapulids and other soft-bodied fossils from Utah and Spain". University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions. 117: 1–22. cited on Paul Hearn. "Lower Wheeler Shale". Fossilworks. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
^ Robison, R.A. (1971). "Additional Middle Cambrian trilobites from the Wheeler Shale of Utah". Journal of Paleontology. 45 (5): 796–804. cited on Shenan Peeters. "Wheeler Formation, House Range, Utah". Fossilworks. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
^ Peters, S.E. "2. Paleontology and taphonomy of the Upper Weeks Formation (Cambrian, Upper Marjuman, Cedaria Zone) of western Utah". http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~peters/pdfs/Weeks.pdf. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

Asaphiscus in the Paleobiology Database

Template:Ptychopariida

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[1] Conway Morris, S.; Robison, R.A. (1986). "Middle Cambrian priapulids and other soft-bodied fossils from Utah and Spain". University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions. 117: 1–22. cited on Paul Hearn. "Lower Wheeler Shale". Fossilworks. Retrieved 2015-01-16.

[2] Robison, R.A. (1971). "Additional Middle Cambrian trilobites from the Wheeler Shale of Utah". Journal of Paleontology. 45 (5): 796–804. cited on Shenan Peeters. "Wheeler Formation, House Range, Utah". Fossilworks. Retrieved 2015-01-16.

[3] Peters, S.E. "2. Paleontology and taphonomy of the Upper Weeks Formation (Cambrian, Upper Marjuman, Cedaria Zone) of western Utah". http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~peters/pdfs/Weeks.pdf. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

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