Paleonet: legs of limulids

[Dieter Waloßek]

Hi David, just to say, the chilaria, assumed to be the legs of the first opisthosomal segment (but possibly truely prosomal, so difefrent from the other euchelicerates) are like all the limbs before, only that they consist only of the original plesiomorphic basipod and lack both endopod and exopod. Otherwise they do have even the median setation/spines, as developed on all post-cheliceral prosomal limbs (ground-pattern condition of a euarthropod basipod). By the way, the word crabs is misleading because these animals are true euchelicerates.
The image below is the only of the legs in the series I have that nicely shows the setation of the chilarial basipod, pointing toward the mouth in front behind the hypostome. of the ventral food chamber. So in a way nothing very different from the situation in Euarthropoda. If you wish to have the full size image, you are welcome to ask. It is mine, so no problem with copyrights. This specimen was cut for a student course in order to show at least a bit of the internal situation, particularly the gut.

Yours, DIETER


Am 21.07.2011 um 14:51 schrieb David Kopaska-Merkel:

> I need an illustration showing the legs of horseshoe crabs either modern or ancient. A drawing would be good, but a photograph would be okay. The key is it has to show clearly that the back pair of legs are not like the ordinary walking legs in front of them. I need an illustration for which I can get permission to publish it in a book.
>  
> David
>  
> David C Kopaska-Merkel
> Geological Survey of Alabama
> Box 869999
> Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999
> 205-247-3695
> www.gsa.state.al.us
> fax 205-349-2861
> 
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