PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em>
The lyttoniid brachiopods of the Permian exhibit a unique valve morphology: a branched lobate structure takes the form of the dorsal valve. In one group of lyttoniids, the genus Pirgulia, the ventral valve wraps around to form a cone that fully encloses the lobate structure. This has consequences fo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Milano University Press
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/12172 |
| _version_ | 1797711678248321024 |
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| author | DANIEL STADTMAUER SUSAN BUTTS |
| author_facet | DANIEL STADTMAUER SUSAN BUTTS |
| author_sort | DANIEL STADTMAUER |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The lyttoniid brachiopods of the Permian exhibit a unique valve morphology: a branched lobate structure takes the form of the dorsal valve. In one group of lyttoniids, the genus Pirgulia, the ventral valve wraps around to form a cone that fully encloses the lobate structure. This has consequences for the dynamics of water flow and mode of life possible for these heteromorphic brachiopods. Here, we describe the skeletal microstructure and morphology of Pirgulia collected from the Upper Permian Sosio Limestone megablocks of Sicily and housed at the Yale Peabody Museum. We reconstruct the paleoecology of Pirgulia, characterizing it as semi-infaunal in soft sediment. By analogy to Richthofenia, the conical ventral valve and flapping dorsal valve functional morphology could have resisted fouling and assisted feeding in this environment. By comparison with the functional morphology of Pirgulia with other lyttoniids and richthofenids, we propose a revised mode of life for this genus, which involves adaptation to secondary soft-bottom substrates and support by sediment sticking. Despite constraints to the fundamental brachiopod body plan, modification of the valves in Pirgulia to achieve a conical morphology allowed it to inhabit a paleoecological niche distinct from that of other reef-building lyttoniids. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T07:09:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dac053a3b6eb4cafaaa9043c03deb26e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0035-6883 2039-4942 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T07:09:37Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | Milano University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |
| spelling | doaj.art-dac053a3b6eb4cafaaa9043c03deb26e2023-09-02T23:12:22ZengMilano University PressRivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia0035-68832039-49422019-09-01125310.13130/2039-4942/1217210288PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em>DANIEL STADTMAUERSUSAN BUTTSThe lyttoniid brachiopods of the Permian exhibit a unique valve morphology: a branched lobate structure takes the form of the dorsal valve. In one group of lyttoniids, the genus Pirgulia, the ventral valve wraps around to form a cone that fully encloses the lobate structure. This has consequences for the dynamics of water flow and mode of life possible for these heteromorphic brachiopods. Here, we describe the skeletal microstructure and morphology of Pirgulia collected from the Upper Permian Sosio Limestone megablocks of Sicily and housed at the Yale Peabody Museum. We reconstruct the paleoecology of Pirgulia, characterizing it as semi-infaunal in soft sediment. By analogy to Richthofenia, the conical ventral valve and flapping dorsal valve functional morphology could have resisted fouling and assisted feeding in this environment. By comparison with the functional morphology of Pirgulia with other lyttoniids and richthofenids, we propose a revised mode of life for this genus, which involves adaptation to secondary soft-bottom substrates and support by sediment sticking. Despite constraints to the fundamental brachiopod body plan, modification of the valves in Pirgulia to achieve a conical morphology allowed it to inhabit a paleoecological niche distinct from that of other reef-building lyttoniids.https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/12172Semi-infaunalbrachidiumconical ventral valveactive filtrationpseudopunctae. |
| spellingShingle | DANIEL STADTMAUER SUSAN BUTTS PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em> Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia Semi-infaunal brachidium conical ventral valve active filtration pseudopunctae. |
| title | PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em> |
| title_full | PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em> |
| title_fullStr | PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em> |
| title_full_unstemmed | PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em> |
| title_short | PALEOECOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN LYTTONIID BRACHIOPOD <em>PIRGULIA</em> |
| title_sort | paleoecology and functional morphology of the permian lyttoniid brachiopod em pirgulia em |
| topic | Semi-infaunal brachidium conical ventral valve active filtration pseudopunctae. |
| url | https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/RIPS/article/view/12172 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielstadtmauer paleoecologyandfunctionalmorphologyofthepermianlyttoniidbrachiopodempirguliaem AT susanbutts paleoecologyandfunctionalmorphologyofthepermianlyttoniidbrachiopodempirguliaem |