The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites

by Percy E. Raymond

On the ventral side this same specimen shows incomplete endopodites and exopodites of about seventeen segments, six of which would belong to the thorax and the remainder to the pygidium. The greater part of the appendages belonging to the pygidium are exceedingly small (about 0.15 mm. long) and so incompletely exposed that the structure can not be definitely made out.

The endopodites of the thoracic segments all lack the greater part of their proximal segments and are all of practically the same form. They turn abruptly backward at the outer end of the meropodite, and the carpopodite of each is greatly widened, projects inward and is armed with tufts of spines. The propodite and dactylopodite are wide, flattened, and taper but slightly outward, the dactylopodite bearing on its distal end a tuft of spines. On several of the endopodites, the meropodites are visible and they bear on their inner ends fringes of spines pointing inward. Behind these well preserved appendages the proximal segments of several endopodites are visible, and a regular succession of flattened, oval bodies armed with numerous forward-pointing spines. These latter bodies Professor Beecher took to be leaf-like exopodites, which they certainly resemble, and as they lie beyond the line of endopodites they probably do belong to the outer halves of the appendages.

The exopodites under the thorax are long, the shaft shows numerous short segments, and is in each case bent backward, though not through a right angle. They extend considerably beyond the endopodites. The setæ do not diverge from the shaft at a right angle as on the dorsal side of this same specimen, but at an acute angle, indicating that they were not rigid. The individual hairs are broad and blade-shaped, frequently with a linear depression along the median line, perhaps due to collapse of the internal tube.

Measurements: The greatest length of the fragment in its present state is 5 mm. The dactylopodite of the second endopodite (without terminal spines) is 0.18 mm. long, the propodite 0.23 mm. long and 0.15 mm. wide; the carpopodite is 0.24 mm. long and 0.38 mm. wide. All measurements were made on the photographs.

Specimen No. 236 ([pl. 7, figs. 3-5]; [pl. 9, figs. 1, 2]; text [fig. 45]).

The right half of the same thorax and pygidium as specimen No. 235.

The specimen is cleaned from both upper and lower sides and, the dorsal test being removed, reveals the long blade-like setæ of the exopodites, each blade being concave along its median line. They are long on the exopodites of the thoracic segments, but become shorter, without, however, any visible change of form on the pygidium. Although the posterior end is not well preserved, one gets no suggestion from a study of this side of the specimens that the exopodites of the posterior end are in any striking way different from those of segments further forward. The tips of some of the setæ show minute spines, one to each blade.

On the ventral side are a number of endopodites, but they are more fragmentary than those of the other half of the specimen. Some of the exopodites are well shown, the blades being in all cases broken from the shaft. Two of the endopodites of this specimen are of especial interest, as they have interarticular membranes between the last three segments. Professor Beecher made a drawing of one of these which he placed under his pen drawing (text fig. 45).

Measurements: The specimen is 5 mm. long from the front of the second thoracic segment to the end of the pygidium. The setæ on the exopodites of the anterior thoracic segments are 1.7 mm. long, as exposed from the dorsal side. Some of those on the posterior part of the pygidium, only incompletely exposed, are 0.31 mm. long.