Acaenoplax — polychaete or mollusc?

Gerhard Steiner () and Luitfried Salvini-Plawen
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Gerhard Steiner: Institute of Zoology, University of Vienna
Luitfried Salvini-Plawen: Institute of Zoology, University of Vienna

Nature, 2001, vol. 414, issue 6864, 601-602

Abstract: Abstract Palaeozoic invertebrate fossils may pose severe problems in assigning them to Recent taxa. Sutton et al.1 describe the beautifully preserved and illustrated Silurian fossil Acaenoplax hayae as a “plated aplacophoran” mollusc, interpreting its polychaete-like characters as convergent features. In our opinion, it is more parsimonious to place this organism in the Polychaeta, as the molluscan similarities are limited to serial valve-like structures, suggesting polyplacophoran affinities. It is unlikely that Acaenoplax represents a primitive organization that is neither molluscan nor polychaete — instead, it appears to represent a highly derived, specialized line of invertebrate evolution.

Date: 2001
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DOI: 10.1038/414601a

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