Colymbosathon ecplecticos - ie: World's Oldest (Astounding) Penis
from
MS/NBC
Actually pretty cool - first tissue differentiation for that
specific purpose...
To quote the original AAAS paper:
bq. The specimen described here is classified as Arthropoda, Crustacea, Ostracoda, Myodocopa, Myodocopida, Cylindroleberididae, Colymbosathon ecplecticos gen. et sp. nov. Name: Kolymbos (swimmer) + sathon (with a large penis); ekplektikos (astounding). Material: A carapace with preserved soft parts, Oxford University Museum of Natural History specimen number OUM C.295670 (holotype). The specimen (Fig. 1 H) has been reconstructed in three dimensions (Fig. 1, A to C, E to G, and I to P). Locality and stratigraphy: Herefordshire, England; Wenlock Series, Silurian. Diagnosis: Cylindroleberidid with well-developed adductorial sulcus and long, simple gape; six pairs of posteriorly attached gills; second maxilla lacks setose "comb." Description: The bivalved carapace is large (maximum length, height, and width, 5210, 3100, and 3150 µm, respectively) and smooth (Fig. 1, F and I). In lateral view, the anterior, posterior, and ventral outlines of the valve are gently curved. A gape extends from the anterior cardinal corner to just behind mid-length. An adductorial sulcus curves forward slightly, to about mid-height. A weak anterior lobe and evenly curved post-adductorial dorsal margin extend just above the hinge line.
Posted by DaveH at December 4, 2003 11:02 PM