Organism · Arthropods
Pagetia bootes
Source time context (not species duration) · ≈ 539–487 Ma
Inferred life reconstruction
Pagetia bootes
Overview
Pagetia bootes is a small trilobite form with a head shield, short trunk, and tail shield. Its detailed form is presented in an institutional account of Burgess Shale material. Three major regions can be found within its small body.[1]
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Key facts
The institutional account describes the adult dorsal exoskeleton as about 1 cm long, including the tail spine. The trunk between the head and tail shields consists of two short segments. Even a small exoskeleton is divided into several regions and spines.[1]
Time and place
Pagetia bootes is a Cambrian trilobite known from the Walcott Quarry. The quarry lies on Fossil Ridge in present-day British Columbia, Canada. The Cambrian as a whole spans roughly 540–490 million years ago.[1][2][3][4]
The time range describes source context, not the complete duration of this species.
Size, form and skeleton
The semicircular head shield has a narrow border, eye ridges, compound eyes, and long rearward-pointing spines. Behind the two short trunk segments is a tail shield similar in size and shape to the head shield. The front and rear resemble each other while having different structures.[1]
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Habitat and reproduction
Which regions can be recognized from the dorsal exoskeleton alone? The positions of the head shield, two trunk segments, and tail shield convey the overall arrangement. There is much to discover by reading a small body as several separate regions.[1]
Fossil discovery
The institutional account describes the species' head, trunk, and tail shield and also lists the numbers of the type specimens. Several specimens provide a basis for comparing names. This is a useful example for understanding the relationship between a short trunk and the shields at its front and rear.[1]
References
Research questions
How can similarly shaped head and tail shields be distinguished? Examine the eye ridges, rearward-pointing spines, and structure of the tail axis together. Small surface features provide clues to the body's orientation.[1]
Observation
Move your gaze from the head shield across the two short trunk segments to the tail shield. Finding the eye ridges and rearward spines in sequence reveals several features within the small exoskeleton.[1]
Related organisms
Elrathia kingiTrilobitesSource time context (not species duration) · ≈ 539–487 MaDifferent bodies among trilobites
Examine the bodies of Pagetia bootes and Elrathia together. Pagetia bootes: Pagetia bootes is a small trilobite form with a head shield, short trunk, and tail shield. Elrathia: Elrathia kingii is a trilobite known for its narrow central axis and short cheek spines.