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Revision as of 13:37, 9 January 2025 by IC1101-Capinatator (talk | contribs) (A punk slug. That is all.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Extinct species of aplacophoran
| Punk ferox Temporal range: Homerian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Aplacophora |
| Genus: | †Punk Sutton et al, 2025 |
| Species: | †P. ferox |
| Binomial name | |
| †Punk ferox Sutton et al, 2025 | |
Punk ferox is a species of aplacophoran mollusc known from the Homerian Coalbrookdale Formation of England. It is the only species within the genus Punk.
Description
Punk is elongate and vermiform, with rounded anterior and posterior ends. The dorsal surface bears a median ridge which widens near the anterior, with a low hump near the midpoint. The flanks of the ridge become more dorsolateral, meeting at the posterior tip of the animal. It lacks valves, instead bearing many long upwards-facing spines (likely mineralised spicules), with these fanning out near the anterior and the anterior margin bearing shorter “head spines”. The dorsal surface is better preserved than the ventral, with a sharp margin between the two. The head is short with a subcylindrical boss possibly representing a buccal mass, alongside a sub-semicircular possible anterior plate. The posterior portion of Punk's trunk bears around 25 subconical projections near the median ridge, likely gills. A thin plate is preserved inside this ridge, likely displaced from an unknown original position.
Etymology
The genus name Punk derives from a “fancied resemblance of the spicule array to the spiked hairstyles associated with the punk rock movement”. The species name ferox translates to “bold” or “defiant”, with no reason given.
See also
References
- ^ Sutton, Mark D.; Sigwart, Julia D.; Briggs, Derek E. G.; Gueriau, Pierre; King, Andrew; Siveter, David J.; Siveter, Derek J. (8 January 2025). "New Silurian aculiferan fossils reveal complex early history of Mollusca". Nature. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08312-0.