Merlinia
Extinct genus of trilobites
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merlinia is an extinct 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,[1] a faunal stage which lasted from approximately 478 to 471 million years ago.[1] These trilobites were named after the Welsh wizard Merlin, as the fossilised tails (pygidia) of trilobites were often mistaken for petrified butterflies, and were hence linked with mythological tales involving Merlin.[2][3]
| Merlinia Temporal range: Early Arenig | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | †Artiopoda |
| Class: | †Trilobita |
| Order: | †Asaphida |
| Family: | †Asaphidae |
| Genus: | †Merlinia Fortey & Owens, 1987 |
