''Merlinia'' is an
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
genus from a well-known class of
fossil marine
arthropods, the
trilobites. It lived during the early part of the
Arenig stage of the
Ordovician Period,
a
faunal stage which lasted from approximately 478 to 471 million years ago.
These trilobites were named after the Welsh wizard
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
, as the fossilised tails (pygidia) of trilobites were often mistaken for petrified butterflies, and were hence linked with mythological tales involving Merlin.
References
Asaphida genera
Asaphidae
Ordovician trilobites of Europe
Ordovician trilobites of South America
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