Punk ferox
| Punk ferox Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype fossil of Punk ferox | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Genus: | †Punk Sutton et al, 2025 |
| Species: | †P. ferox |
| Binomial name | |
| †Punk ferox Sutton et al, 2025 | |
Punk ferox is a species of aplacophoran mollusc known from the Homerian Coalbrookdale Formation of England. It is the only species within the genus Punk.[1]
Description
[edit]Punk is elongate and vermiform, with rounded anterior and posterior ends. The dorsal surface bears a median ridge which widens near the anterior, with a low hump near the midpoint. The flanks of the ridge become more dorsolateral, meeting at the posterior tip of the animal. It lacks valves, instead bearing many long upwards-facing spines (likely mineralised spicules), with these fanning out near the anterior and the anterior margin bearing shorter "head spines". The dorsal surface is better preserved than the ventral, with a sharp margin between the two. The head is short with a subcylindrical boss possibly representing a buccal mass, alongside a sub-semicircular possible anterior plate. The posterior portion of Punk's trunk bears around 25 subconical projections near the median ridge, likely gills. A thin plate is preserved inside this ridge, likely displaced from an unknown original position.[1]
Etymology
[edit]The genus name Punk derives from a "fancied resemblance of the spicule array to the spiked hairstyles associated with the punk rock movement". The species name ferox translates to "bold" or "defiant", with no reason given.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Sutton, Mark D.; Sigwart, Julia D.; Briggs, Derek E. G.; Gueriau, Pierre; King, Andrew; Siveter, David J.; Siveter, Derek J. (8 January 2025). "New Silurian aculiferan fossils reveal complex early history of Mollusca". Nature. 637 (8046): 631–636. Bibcode:2025Natur.637..631S. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08312-0. PMC 11735398. PMID 39779843.