A case of pedipalpal regeneration in a fossil harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones)

The first pedipalpal regeneration observed in a fossil harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) is documented in a specimen of Dicranopalpus ramiger (Koch & Berendt, 1854) from Eocene Baltic amber (ca. 44–49 Ma). The tibia of the right pedipalp is strongly truncated and shorter than the adjacent patell...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArachnologische Mitteilungen Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 65 - 69
Main Authors Mitov, Plamen G., Dunlop, Jason A., Bartel, Christian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Arachnologische Gesellschaft e.V 27.04.2021
Subjects
abnormalities
Baltic amber
Dicranopalpus
pedipalps
Phalangiidae
regeneration
RESEARCH-ARTICLE
teratology
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Summary:The first pedipalpal regeneration observed in a fossil harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) is documented in a specimen of Dicranopalpus ramiger (Koch & Berendt, 1854) from Eocene Baltic amber (ca. 44–49 Ma). The tibia of the right pedipalp is strongly truncated and shorter than the adjacent patella and its apophysis. Possible reasons for this aberration are discussed. It most likely represents an example of partial tibial regeneration after a traumatic event, while experimental manipulation of the pedipalps of extant phalangiid harvestmen suggests that the observed morphology in the amber fossil is unlikely to be due to autospasy.
ISSN:1018-4171
2199-7233
DOI:10.30963/aramit6110