chitons: Acanthopleura

From
Date
Dear colleagues,

after a request for help in collection of living chitons by Lesley Brooker
(PhD student in Animal Physiology, Biological and Environmental Sciences,
Murdoch University, WA 6150, lbrooker@possum.murdoch.edu.au) I got in a
little discussion about chitons with her. She is doing genetic work on all
extant species which might end up with interesting results.

It seems the genus Acanthopleura is not known from the fossil record. It is
the most widely distributed group in chitons today and its absence from the
rocks is somewhat enigmatic. (very) Far from being a specialist in chitons
I would like to ask for your advice: are there really no Acanthopleuras in
the fossil record? The genus name was not unknown to me - there might be a
good chance that this obscure knowledge derives from a paleo paper I read a
long time ago.

Many thanks for your help. I will forward your messages to Lesley to
support her in her Ph.D. work.

Heinz Hilbrecht




Address:

Heinz Hilbrecht
Geological Institute
ETH Zentrum
Sonneggstr. 5
CH-8092 Zuerich
Switzerland

phone:  ++41-1-6323676
fax:      ++41-1-6321080
www: http://www.erdw.ethz.ch/~heinz/welcome.html
e-mail:  Hilbrecht@erdw.ethz.ch