Ordovician Enosiaspis Marellomorph Fossil

Description: This is a fine specimen of an Ordovician marellomorph known thus far as Furca mauretanica. The Marellomorpha are a small group of rare, primitive arthropods. The order was named after the Burgess Shale genus Marella (see my other offerings) and also includes Mimetaster (again, see my other specimens). The genus possesses a body plan far different from the better-known Furca in that it has a cordiform (heart-shaped) carapace much like the Devonian Vachonisia from Germany, hence its assignment to the same family. Specimens that were the subject of the research that led to the scientific description ranged from 7 mm to 15 mm in overall length, putting this one near the upper end of the range. The genus derives its name from the Greek words for “union” and “shield” due to the taxon’s temporal link between the Cambrian skaniids and the Silurian vaconisiids. I am grateful to the author of this reference for his generous assistance in identifying this specimen