Helenodora
| Helenodora Temporal range: Pennsylvanian
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| Helenodora holotype FMNH PE 29049 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Stem group: | Onychophora |
| Genus: | †Helenodora Thompson and Jones, 1980 |
| Species: | †H. inopinata
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| Binomial name | |
| †Helenodora inopinata Thompson and Jones, 1980[1]
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Helenodora is an extinct basal onychophoran or lobopodian genus known from the Carboniferous Carbondale Formation of Illinois. The only known species described is H. inopinata. The ecology of this animal is not well known, but it is thought that it may have lived on land and/or underwater.
Discovery and naming
[edit]At the moment, Helenodora is known from ten specimens found in the Middle Pennsylvanian, Francis Creek Shale of Illinois.[2][3] All were found in siderite concretions from Mazon Creek fossil beds, a lagerstätte that contains animals like the famous "Tully Monster".[2][4]
The first specimens found (the holotype FMNH PE 29049 and paratype FMNH PE 29050) were described during the 80's and are composed of both a part and counterpart. These were deposited in the invertebrate fossil collection of the Field Museum of Natural History of Chicago, Illinois.[2] Other specimens include FMNH PE 13966, 33380, 33822, 45049, and 49784 and FMNH ROM 47513, 45565, and 47978.[3]
Helenodora was suggested by some authors to be a junior synonym of Ilyodes Scudder 1890, a fossil genus that includes two species and was originally described as a myriapod. A re-examination of the type material of Helenodora inopinata and the Ilyodes species found significant differences between them. Additionally, neither species of Ilyodes were adequately diagnosed, so they and the genus are all considered nomina dubia.[3]
The genus name "Helenodora" is Greek for "Helen’s gift". This name honors Mrs. Helen Piecko of Chicago, Illinois for finding both the holotype and paratype. The species name "inopinata" is Latin and means "unexpected".[2]
Description
[edit]
Head
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2025) |
Trunk
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Lobopods
[edit]While originally thought to have more or less,[2] Helenodora is now known to possess 20 pairs of legs known as lobopods. In complete specimens with a differentiated front and back, this number is certain.[3] These lobopods are preserved as stubby triangles that taper off towards the end.[2] They had a mean length of 1.7 millimeters, and a mean width at their base of 2.1 millimeters.[3] Other than a single leg on the paratype (appendage 11), none of Helenodora’s lobopods preserve any part of the cuticle. However, even where it exists, the cuticle is poorly preserved. Because of this, whether the lobopods had any annulations or limb ornaments is unknown.[2][3]
Claws
[edit]
When first described by Thomson and Jones, the paratype (FMNH PE 29050) was interpreted to preserve seven pairs of claws on the tips of its lobopods. One of these was well-defined, while the rest less so.[2] The claws were preserved as small, long dark patches composed of a thin film of carbon and framboidal pyrite.[3] All were on the left row of the body and found on either side of the fossil concretion.[2]
However, a 2016 redescription by Murdock et al. argued that Helenodora’s claws were a taphonomic artifact. In this study, claw-like patches were found throughout the paratype as well as in multiple newer specimens. These were found in areas inconsistent with claws, sometimes outside the fossil boundary. Based on this information, the claws on the paratype were likely a coincidence, causing Murdock to conclude that the animal lacked them in life.[3] This was further supported by taphonomic evidence, as in modern velvet worms, claws are composed of sclerotized (hardened) chitin and are a highly decay-resistant feature.[5][3]
Barely a year later, Helenodora’s lack of claws was contested in a study by Grimaldi et al. This paper redescribed Cretoperipatus, a velvet worm preserved in amber, based on three new specimens. The authors found that in one specimen, many of the claws had detached and were dispersed throughout the amber matrix.[6] In modern velvet worms, the foot begins decaying soon after death.[5][6] Because the claws are only connected by a fragile membrane of tissue, decay might cause them to detach. This can reach the point where the animal lacks feet and claws altogether. With this in mind, the small dark patches in Helenodora could be claws that separated before or during fossilization.[6]
Classification
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2025) |
Paleobiology
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2025) |
References
[edit]- ^ Thompson, I.; Jones, D. S. (May 1980). "A Possible Onychophoran from the Middle Pennsylvanian Mazon Creek Beds of Northern Illinois" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 54 (3): 588–596. Bibcode:1974JPal...48..524M. JSTOR 1304204.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Thompson, Ida; Jones, Douglas S. (1980). "A Possible Onychophoran from the Middle Pennsylvanian Mazon Creek Beds of Northern Illinois". Journal of Paleontology. 54 (3): 588–596. ISSN 0022-3360.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Murdock, D. J. E.; Gabbott, S. E.; Purnell, M. A. (2016). "The impact of taphonomic data on phylogenetic resolution: Helenodora inopinata (Carboniferous, Mazon Creek Lagerstätte) and the onychophoran stem lineage". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 16 (19): 19. Bibcode:2016BMCEE..16...19M. doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0582-7. PMC 4722706. PMID 26801389.
- ^ Clements, Thomas; Purnell, Mark; Gabbott, Sarah (2018-10-04). "The Mazon Creek Lagerstätte: a diverse late Paleozoic ecosystem entombed within siderite concretions". Journal of the Geological Society. 176 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1144/jgs2018-088. hdl:2381/44761. ISSN 0016-7649.
- ^ a b Murdock, Duncan JE; Gabbott, Sarah E.; Mayer, Georg; Purnell, Mark A. (2014-11-29). "Decay of velvet worms (Onychophora), and bias in the fossil record of lobopodians". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 14 (1): 222. Bibcode:2014BMCEE..14..222M. doi:10.1186/s12862-014-0222-z. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4266977. PMID 25472836.
- ^ a b c Oliveira, I. S.; Bai, M; Jahn, H; Gross, V; Martin, C; Hammel, J. U.; Zhang, W; Mayer, G (2016). "Earliest Onychophoran in Amber Reveals Gondwanan Migration Patterns". Current Biology. 26 (19): 2594–2601. Bibcode:2016CBio...26.2594O. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.023. PMID 27693140.
External links
[edit]
Data related to Helenodora at Wikispecies
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