Cornuproetine (proetide) trilobites with nine thorax segments from the Devonian of Morocco, Germany and the Czech Republic

• DOI: 10.1007/s12542-019-00491-w
• Publication Date: 2019-10-26T10:02:31Z
• Authors: Allart van Viersen; Frederik Lerouge
• Keywords: Devonian; Thorax (insect anatomy)

The majority of cornuproetine taxa known from articulated specimens have ten thoracic segments. Here we record rare, well-preserved specimens with nine segments in the Early and Middle Devonian of Morocco, Germany and the Czech Republic. These encompass the genera Lepidoproetus Erben, Sculptoproetus Erben, Macroblepharum Alberti, Koneprusites Přibyl, Paralepidoproetus Alberti, Timsaloproetus Gibb and Chatterton and Hollandiella gen. nov. Large holaspides of these trilobites are often comparatively small and bear dorsal sculpture consisting of terrace lines in a fingerprint-like configuration, small granules, or a mixture of these features. The holotype of Sculptoproetus sculptus (Barrande) and the lectotype of Lepidoproetus lepidus (Barrande), the type species of these genera, are refigured. Additional topotypical specimens of S. sculptus are illustrated; these provide new insights into the morphology of this species, leading to the putative synonymy of Macroblepharum with Sculptoproetus. The following new cornuproetine taxa are described: Hollandiella curvirostris gen. et sp. nov., Hollandiella lebruni gen. et sp. nov., Hollandiella verecunda gen. et sp. nov., Koneprusites oresibios sp. nov., Lepidoproetus arenicolus sp. nov., Sculptoproetus raki sp. nov., Timsaloproetus weddigei sp. nov., Timsaloproetus gibbae sp. nov., Timsaloproetus pulchistriatus pulchistriatus ssp. nov. and Timsaloproetus pulchistriatus repens ssp. nov. Timsaloproetus haasi is recorded from several localities in Morocco. Additionally, Tafilaltaspis rufa sp. nov. is proposed as a new species of the nine-segmented eremiproetine Tafilaltaspis, which was traditionally classified as a cornuproetine genus.