Taklamakania

{{Short description|Extinct genus of trilobites}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{temporal_range|458|448|late Caradoc}} | image = Taklamakania tarimensis.JPG | image_caption = ''T. tarimensis'' | taxon = Taklamakania | authority = Zhang, 1979 | type_species = ''Taklamakania tarimensis'' | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = *''T. tarimensis'' *''T. tarimheensis'' *''T. xinjiangensis'' }}

'''''Taklamakania''''' is a genus of asaphid trilobites of the family Raphiophoridae that lived during the late Caradoc of Inner Mongolia, China. Like all raphiophorids it is blind, with a headshield (or cephalon) that is subsemicircular, carrying genal spines and a forward directed spine on the central raised area (or glabella), with the front of the glabella inflated and the natural fracture lines (or sutures) of the cephalon coinciding with its margin. It is easily distinguished from most other raphiophorids by the 3 thorax segments. ''Pseudampyxina'', ''Nanshanaspis'', and ''Kongqiaoheia'' also have only 3 such segments, but all three lack the frontal spine that emanates from the glabellum of ''Taklamakania'' species. All other raphiophorid genera have at least 5 thorax segments. Three species, ''T. tarimensis'', ''T. tarimheensis'', and ''T. xinjiangensis'', have been assigned to this genus so far.<ref name='ZWY'>{{cite journal|last1= Zhou|first1= Z.|last2= Webby|first2= B.D.|last3= Yuan|first3= W.|year= 1995|title= Ordovician trilobites from the Yingan Formation of northwestern Tarim, Xinjiang, northwestern China|journal= Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology|volume= 19|issue= 1|pages= 47–72|doi= 10.1080/03115519508619098|bibcode= 1995Alch...19...47Z}}</ref>

== Etymology == The generic name ''Taklamakania'' refers to the Taklamakan Desert, the area where its fossils were found. The species epithet ''tarimensis'' is also a geographic derivation in reference to the Tarim Basin, which includes the Taklamakan Desert.<ref name='ZWY' />

== Evolution == Adult ''T. tarimensis'' are almost indistinguishable from juvenile ''Ampyxina powelli'', and it is assumed that ''Taklamakania'' developed from ''Ampyxina'' through paedomorphosis.<ref name='ZWY'/>

== Junior homonym == * ''T. lepetzi'' = ''Paranemia bicolor ''<small>(Ferrer & Yvinec, 2004)</small> a tenebrionid beetle<ref>{{cite journal|last= Medvedev|first= G.S.|year= 2006|title= To the Systematics and Nomenclature of Tenebrionid Beetles of the Tribes Phaleriini, Lachnogyini, Klewariini, and Blaptini (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)|journal= Entomological Review|volume= 86|issue= 7|pages= 820–839|doi= 10.1134/S0013873806070062|s2cid= 39347776|url= http://www.maik.ru/abstract/enteng/6/enteng0820_abstract.pdf|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20151222113808/http://www.maik.ru/abstract/enteng/6/enteng0820_abstract.pdf|archivedate= 2015-12-22}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

Category:Raphiophoridae Category:Asaphida genera Category:Ordovician trilobites of Asia Category:Fossils of China