Martinssonia

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

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

Martinssonia was presumably a benthic detritivore, stirring up food particles from the seafloor.[1]

Etymology

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

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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
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