Fossil Discovery Reveals That Trilobites Had Clasper-Like Limbs Used for Mating
Published:11 May2022 Source:Geological Society of America
Thanks to their easily fossilized exoskeleton, trilobites largely dominate the fossil record of early complex animal life. However, trilobite appendages and the anatomy of the underside of their body are typically not well preserved, which makes it difficult to infer their mating and reproductive behaviors.
Until now, modern arthropods have been heavily used as an analog to infer the mating behavior of trilobites, but a new study published Friday in Geology described the discovery of a specialized limb in a mature male trilobite species that sheds light on trilobite's mating behaviors for the first time.