In a quest to find the first complete head, researchers conducted an analysis of Arthropleura fossils belonging to two juvenile individuals uncovered in the 1970s in France.
Researchers studied scans of two Arthropleura fossils trapped in stone.
Both fossilized insects still had most of their legs, and one of them had a complete head, including antennae, eyes, mandibles and its feeding apparatus — the first Arthropleura head ever documented, Lhéritier said.
Researchers believe the two Arthropleura fossils belonged to juveniles because they reach just 0.9 inch (25 millimeters) and 1.5 inches (40 millimeters) long.
But other fossils that preserve additional aspects of the arthropod’s body, including the head of an adult, will need to be found.
Persons:
—, Arthropleura, we’ve, ”, Dr, Greg Edgecombe, Mickaël Lhéritier, Lhéritier, ” Edgecombe, Arthrorpleura, Lheritier, ” Lhéritier, “, James C, Lamsdell
Organizations:
CNN, Adv, Claude Bernard University Lyon, Mines, West Virginia University
Locations:
France, Great Britain, eadp6362, what’s, North America, Europe, Montceau, millipedes