# Punk ferox

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***Punk ferox*** is a species of [aplacophoran](/source/Aplacophoran) mollusc known from the [Homerian](/source/Homerian) [Coalbrookdale Formation](/source/Coalbrookdale_Formation) of England. It is the only species within the genus ***Punk***.[1]

## Description

*Punk* is elongate and [vermiform](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/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](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dorsolateral), meeting at the posterior tip of the animal. It lacks valves, instead bearing many long upwards-facing spines (likely mineralised [spicules](/source/Spicule_(sponge))), 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](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/subcylindrical) boss possibly representing a [buccal mass](/source/Digestive_system_of_gastropods), 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.[1]

## Etymology

The genus name *Punk* derives from a "fancied resemblance of the spicule array to the spiked hairstyles associated with the [punk rock](/source/Punk_rock) movement". The species name *ferox* translates to "bold" or "defiant", with no reason given.[1]

## See also

- [List of unusual biological names](/source/List_of_unusual_biological_names)

## References

1. 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*. **637** (8046): 631–636. [Bibcode:2025Natur.637..631S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025Natur.637..631S). [doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08312-0](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08312-0). [PMC 11735398](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11735398). [PMID 39779843](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39779843)

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