Ptychagnostus atavus is a species of agnostid trilobite. It was originally described by Swedish paleontologist Sven Axel Tullberg as Agnostus atavus in 1880.[1] It is used in biostratigraphy as an index fossil. Its first appearance at the GSSP section in the Wheeler Shale of Utah is defined as the beginning of the Drumian Age (around 504.5 million years ago) of the Miaolingian (Middle Cambrian).[2][3]

Ptychagnostus atavus
Temporal range: Drumian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Trilobita (?)
Order: Agnostida
Family: Ptychagnostidae
Genus: Ptychagnostus
Species:
P. atavus
Binomial name
Ptychagnostus atavus
Synonyms
  • Acidusus atavus (Tullberg, 1880)
  • Agnostus atavus Tullberg 1880

Laurie (2008) [4] grouped punctuosus and affinis within Ptychagnostus, but preferred to place the closely related atavus within Acidusus.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Ptychagnostus atavus". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  2. ^ Babcock, L. E.; Robison, R. A.; Rees, M. N.; Peng, S.; Saltzman, M. R. (2007). "The Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Drumian Stage (Cambrian) in the Drum Mountains, Utah, USA" (PDF). Episodes. 30 (2): 85–95. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2007/v30i2/003.
  3. ^ Ogg, G. "GSSP for Drumian Stage". Geologic TimeScale Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  4. ^ LAURIE J. R. 2008. Species relationships in the Ptychagnostidae (Cambrian, Agnostina). In: Ra´bano I., Gozalo R. & GarciaBellido D. eds. Advances in trilobite research, pp. 211–218. Cuadernos del Museo Geominero 9.