Giant trilobites and trilobite clusters from the Ordovician of Portugal

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dc.contributor.authorGutierrez-Marco, J.
dc.contributor.authorSA, A.
dc.contributor.authorGarcia-Bellido, D.
dc.contributor.authorRabano, I.
dc.contributor.authorValerio, M.
dc.date.issued2009
dc.description.abstractLarge quarrying surfaces of roofing slate in the Arouca Geopark (northern Portugal), formed under oxygen-depleted conditions, have yielded a unique Ordovician fossil lagerstätte that reveals new information on the social behavior of trilobites. It provides several of the world's largest trilobite specimens (some reaching 70 cm), showing evidence of possible polar gigantism in six different species, as well as numerous examples of monotaxic and polytaxic size-segregated autochthonous trilobite clusters, some of which contain as many as 1000 specimens. These reveal a very diverse social behavior, which includes temporary refuge from predation and synchronous molting and reproduction, demonstrated for the first time in five contemporary families of three different trilobite orders from a single formation.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityJuan C. Gutiérrez-Marco, Artur A. Sá, Diego C. García-Bellido, Isabel Rábano, and Manuel Valério
dc.identifier.citationGeology (Boulder), 2009; 37(5):443-446
dc.identifier.doi10.1130/G25513A.1
dc.identifier.issn0091-7613
dc.identifier.issn0091-7613
dc.identifier.orcidGarcia-Bellido, D. [0000-0003-1922-9836]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/84525
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherGeological Society of America
dc.rights© 2009 Geological Society of America
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1130/g25513a.1
dc.titleGiant trilobites and trilobite clusters from the Ordovician of Portugal
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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