A trigonotarbid arachnid from the early Devonian of Tredomen, Wales

Abstract

A new trigonotarbid (Arachnida: Trigonotarbida) Arianrhoda bennetti gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) of a quarry near Tredomen, Powys, mid Wales, UK. This relatively complete specimen is the first record of a pre-Carboniferous arachnid from Wales, one of only a handful of early Devonian arachnids, and the second oldest trigonotarbid recorded. Based on the rounded prosomal dorsal shield and the relatively narrow, elongate opisthosoma we refer this new fossil to the family Anthracosironidae. A distinct flange-like ornament on the leg 4 tibia in the new fossil is unique among trigonotarbids and is the primary autapomorphy for the new genus.