TRILOBITA – ITS MORPHOLOGY, CLA SSIFICATION A ND EVOLUTION

Nandita Mahanta
 CONTENTS:

• Introduction
• Taxonomic Classification
• General Morphology
• Ecdysis Process
• Classification
• Evolutionary Trends
• References
 INTRODUCTION
What are Trilobites ?
➢ The name Trilobite is derived from the two Greek words Tri meaning three and Lobos
meaning lobes, referring to three lobes or trilobation of trilobite’s external skeleton.
➢ Trilobites are an exclusive form of marine animals that are a member of a group of
extinct fossil arthopods (a large group of invertebrate animals in the greek language
means jointed legs).
➢ Restricted to paleozoic era (Cambrian to Permian).
➢ Benthonic animal which crept or swimmed along the bottom and fed on small
organism and debris in bottom mud.

Taxonomic classification..

➢ Kingdom - Animalia
➢ Subkingdom - Metazoa
➢ Phyllum - Arthopoda
➢ Subphyllum - Trilobitomorpha
➢ Class - Trilobita
 MORPHOLOGY
Body of the animal is divided in to three parts from anterior to
posterior direction (transversely) ;

➢ Cephalon
➢ Thorax
➢ Pygidium

And longitudinally the body is divided in to three lobes ;

➢ Axial lobe
➢ 2 Pleural lobes or lateral lobes

Dorsal surface of the body is protected by strong calcareous

exoskeleton known as carapace.

Segment of the Cephalon and Pygidium are fused together but are
free and movable in thorax.
Fig. : Trilobation of a trilobite skeleton:
a) Transversal; and b) Longitudinal.
Fig.: Line drawing of a trilobite
showing the various
morphological features.
 CEPHALON
▪ Anterior part of the three transverse lobes.
▪ The part which covers the head is the cephalic shield.
▪ It is a semicircular towards the anterior side and flatten towards the
posterior side.
▪ Cephalon is made up of the five to seven fused segment.
▪ Distinguished into the median and two lateral portion.

▪ The raised axial (central) area of cephalon is called GLABELLA,

whereas the portion of cephalon that surrounds glabella comprises
cheeks.
▪ The last fused segment of glabella close to the posterior margin of
cephalon is known as occipital lobe and is separated fromthe rest of
glabella by an occipital furrow.

▪ Cheeks are more or less triangular in shape and divided and divided
into free cheek and fixed cheeks which is separated by facial suture.
➢ Free cheek – Librigena
➢ Fixed Cheek – Fixigena
➢ The combined central portion of cephalon bounded by glabella and two
fixed cheeks (on both sides of the glabella) is known as CRANIDIUM.

EYES –

Visual area usually a pair located on either side of glabella on fixigena near the
suture line between free cheek and fixed cheek.
HOLOCHROAL EYES

➢ Entire eyes may be covered by the transparent chitinous layer; cornea –

HOLOCHROAL.

➢ Each of compound eyes may have a separate cornea – SCHIZOCHROAL.

GENAL ANGLE –

Angle subtended by anterior lateral and posterior margin of cephalon often extended SCHIZOCHROAL EYES
posteriorly as genal spine.

e.g, Paradoxide
➢ FACIAL SUTURES are lines of weakness present on the cheeks; separating free cheek and fixed cheek.

On the basis of the position of facial suture with respect to the genal angle, the trilobites can be divided into four
types as given below and shown in Figure:
a. Marginal facial Suture: This runs along the margin of the cephalon with theresult that there is no free cheek
on the dorsal side (Fig. a). Example – Olenellus.
b. Proparian Facial Suture: It cuts the margin on the lateral side in front ofthe genal angle (Fig. b). Example –
Phacops.
c. Gonatoparian Facial Suture: This suture cuts the margin at the genalangle (Fig. c). Example – Calymene.
d. Opisthoparian Facial Suture: It cuts at the posterior side of the cheek (Fig. d). Example – Isotelus.

Fig. : Cephalons of trilobites showing various types of facial sutures: a) Marginal; b) Proparian; c) Gonatoparian; and d)
Opisthoparian. (Source: simplifiedafter Nield and Tucker, 1985
 THORAX
➢ Thorax is the central portion of a trilobite’s skeleton, which lies in between cephalon and
pygidium.

➢ It is made up of a series of nearly identical segments, which are usually two to forty two in
number and not fused together which are movable.

➢ It may be noted that transversely, each segment is a single piece, but it is easily divisible into
three lobes such as an axial lobe and two pleural lobes by two axial furrows. The median or
central portion of each segment is known as axial lobe and its lateral lobes lying on either side of
the axial lobe are termed as pleura or pleural lobes (singular, pleuron).

➢ Each pleuron at some distance from the axial lobe is curved forming a fulcrum.

➢ The lateral end of each pleuron may be rounded or pointed. If the end is rounded then it gives rise
to an angle known as pleural angle; on the other hand, if it is pointed then it is termed as pleural
spine.

➢ The horizontal grooves present on external surfaces of segments are known as pleural furrows.
 PY GIDIUM
➢ Pygidium is a tail piece, which lies at the posterior margin of the trilobite.

➢ It is triangular to semi-triangular in shape and composed of a variable number of segments, which

are fused together, immovable and may be one to thirty in number.

➢ Pygidium may be larger or smaller than the cephalon. Like the segments of thorax, it is also
divided into an axial lobe and two pleural lobes.

➢ In some forms, the posterior end of pygidium has an extension of an axial spine, which is termed
as telson.

➢ The spines occurring in the pygidium region are known as pygidial spines.

• Based on the size of pygidium, trilobites may be defined as given below

and shown in Fig. :

➢ Micropygous: When pygidium is smaller than cephalon. e.g. -Paradoxide

➢ Macropygous: When pygidium is larger than cephalon. e.g.- Anisopyge
Fig. : Schematics of trilobites showing: a)
➢ Isopygous: Pygidium and cephalon are equal in size. e,g, - Isotelus Micropygous; b) Macropygous; and
c) Isopygous trilobites.
 ECDYSIS AND ONTOGENY

• Ecdysis is the process of shedding off the entire skeleton and formation of new one to accommodate
the enlarging internal soft part.

• This occur due to the growth happened in the organism.

• Characteristics of trilobite.

• The animal has to extend considerable metabolic energy in replacing its entire skeleton at intervals.

• Trilobites start its life from an egg from which larva was eventually hatched.

• From this stage moulting process getting started Succesive moulting are often preserved as fossil and
may give record successive ontogenic development from the earliest larval stage

Ontogenic development of trilobita can be divide into three stages ;

> Protaspis stage

> Meraspis stage
> Holaspis stage
 CLASSIFICATION
Beecher classified trilobita in five orders on the basis of,

1. Ontogeny as shown by various stages of growth.

2. Nature of cephalon, pygidium or both.
3. Nature and position of the facial suture.
4. Number of thoracic segments.
5. Nature and presence and absence of eyes.

(i)Order Agnostida includes small, eyeless animals with similar cephalon and pygidium.Facial suture, and
free cheeks are lacking. There are two or three segments in thorax; e.g. Agnostus.
Age-Lower Cambrian to Ordovician.

(ii)Order Eodiscida also includes small animals, which possess conspicuously equal sized cephalon and
pygidium. The glabella tapers near anterior end. Facial suture, if present,is protoparian type. Eyes may or
may not be present.The free cheeks are small. e.g., Eodiscus.
Age-Lower to Middle Cambrian.
(iii) Order Proparia includes forms with proparian facial suture. The eyes are present on free
cheeks. Genal angles and pleural angles are present; e.g. , Phacops, Calymene.
Age-Ordovician to Devonian.

iv) Order Opisthoparia includes large number of forms with opisthoparian facial suture.
Large, holochroal eyes are present on free cheeks. Generally the genal spines are large.The
pygidium is small; e.g. -Paradoxides.
Age - Cambrian to Permian.

(v) Order Olenellida includes typical trilobites. The Cephalon is large with lack of distinguishable
facial suture. Eyes are large. There are twenty seven to thirty thoraxic segments. The pygidium is
small and simple. e.g. Olenellus.
Age-Lower Cambrian
 EVOLUTIONARY TRENDS
There are two types of evolutionary trends in trilobita generally
observed as - structural modification and
adaptive modification.

Structural modifications -

1. Changes in glabella - In primitive forms of lower cambrian

time glabellar furrows are distinct and extended from one side
to another. With course of time, evolutionary changes cause
disappearing of the glabellar furrows and leads to the
smoothening of the glabella, which utilised in easy burrowing
life habit.
ex- illaneus

It is quite obvious that the general outline of the cephalon also

changes with the change in the shape of the glabella, as the
primitive glabella was triangular in the shape, i.e. pointed
anteriorly and wider at the posterior end, then glabella became
rectangular in shape, then anterior end become more wider
than posterior end, then finally glabella become spheroidal to
enable the animal to float.
2. Changes in eyes - different requirements of sight leads to the modification of eyes such as

- low light intensity in deep water condition.

- burrowing mode of life and
- intense light in shallow water condition.

3.Change in thorax - primitive trilobites have large number of thoracic segments, 45 or more, ex-
olenellus, with advancement of palaeozoic era, a mark reduction in the number of thoracic segments
took place upto 2, 3. ex- agnostus.

4.Change in pygidium - pygidium was absent in primitive form ex - nevadia, leads to apygous
condition, later on the few segments of thorax fused together to give rise pygidium. Later on
micropygous, heteropygous, isopygous and macropygous condition taken place. Pygidium works as a
propellar.

Adaptive Modification –

Trilobites are very uncommon in sandstone and any coarse grained rock. They are abundant in
calcareous or argillaceous rocks and this suggest that they are bottom dwelling animals.
 REFERENCES

➢ Evolution and Animal distribution by

Dr. P.C. Jain and Dr. M.S.
Anantharaman ( Pg – 137 to 143 ) .

➢ An Introduction to Palaeontology by
Amal Dasgupta ( Pg – 195 to 210 ) .

➢ www.google.com