''Bathynotus'' is a genus of
trilobite
Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the At ...
s of the family
Bathynotidae. Its fossils have been found in the
paleocontinents Laurentia (specifically in what are now Nevada and Vermont), Gondwana (in South China and South-Australia), and - doubtfully - Siberia. It is characterized by a very wide axis in the
thorax
The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...
and an enlarged 11th segment that bears a long, backwardly directed spine on each side. Additionally, the 12th and 13th segments are narrow and fuse with the edge of the spine of the 11th segment.
Etymology
''Bathynotus'' is derived from the Greek words βαθυς -bathus- meaning "ample"; and νοτος -notos- meaning "back", for the very wide axis of the thorax. The species names are derived as follows.
*''elongatus'' means lengthened, for the greater body length of this species.
*''holopygus'' means entire shield, for the pygidium that has a smooth border.
*''kueichoensis'' comes from Kweichow (now
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
Province) in China where this species was collected.
References
External links
Discussion of the taxonomic position of ''Bathynotus''
Redlichiida genera
Cambrian trilobites of Australia
{{redlichiida-stub
Cambrian genus extinctions