This list of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

s described in 2018 is a list of new taxa of

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the At ...

s, fossil

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

s, arachnids, and other fossil arthropods of every kind that were described during the year 2018, as well as other significant discoveries, and events related to arthropod paleontology that are scheduled to occur in the year 2018.

General research

* A study on extant arthropods (mainly insects and spiders) living around the

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

ous tree ''

Hymenaea verrucosa ''Hymenaea verrucosa'' (Zanzibar copal, East African copal, or Amber tree) is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the paraphyletic subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is a large tree native to the tropical regio ...

'' in the lowland coastal forest of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and trapped by the resin produced by this tree species, and on their implications for inferring whether amber records the true past biodiversity of the entire forest, is published by Solórzano Kraemer ''et al.'' (2018). * A study on the early evolution of

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

and crown-

s as indicated by

Ediacaran The Ediacaran Period ( ) is a geological period that spans 96 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period 635 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 538.8 Mya. It marks the end of the Proterozoic Eon, and th ...

and

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...

body and trace fossils is published by Daley ''et al.'' (2018). * A study on the evolution of

ecdysozoa Ecdysozoa () is a group of protostome animals, including Arthropoda (insects, chelicerata, crustaceans, and myriapods), Nematoda, and several smaller phyla. They were first defined by Aguinaldo ''et al.'' in 1997, based mainly on phylogenetic tr ...

n vision, focusing on the evolution of arthropod multi-

opsin Animal opsins are G-protein-coupled receptors and a group of proteins made light-sensitive via a chromophore, typically retinal. When bound to retinal, opsins become Retinylidene proteins, but are usually still called opsins regardless. Most pro ...

vision, as indicated by molecular data and data from fossil record, is published by Fleming ''et al.'' (2018). * Grimaldi ''et al.'' (2018) report biological inclusions (fungi, plants, arachnids and insects) in amber from the

Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period, geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million yea ...

Chickaloon Formation The Chickaloon Formation is a geologic formation in Alaska. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, representing the northernmost deposit of fossiliferous amber from the

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...

. * A mantis lacewing larva found in association with two spiders, attached to one of the anterior walking legs of one of the spiders, is described from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

amber from

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

by Haug, Müller & Haug (2018), who interpret this finding as evidence of palaeo-

parasitism Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted structurally to this way of lif ...

Arachnids

Research

* Review of arachnids known from the Bitterfeld amber (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) and a study on their implications for inferring the age of this deposit is published by Dunlop ''et al.'' (2018). * The first fossil representative of the parasitic

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

family Pterygosomatidae, assigned to the genus '' Pimeliaphilus'' and similar in

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

to the extant species parasitic on

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as ...

es, is described from the

( Albian)

Archingeay Archingeay () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arcantois'' or ''Arcantoises''. Geography Archingeay is located some 32 k ...

amber (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) by Sidorchuk & Khaustov (2018). * Fossil mite ''"Sejus" bdelloides'', originally interpret as a member of Mesostigmata, is reinterpreted as a member of Prostigmata referrable to the group

Anystina The Prostigmata is a suborder of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes, which contains the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (Acariformes). Many species are notorious pests on plants. Well-known examples of prostigmatan plant parasit ...

by Dunlop, Walter & Kontschán (2018). * A study on the body size of fossil mites is published by Sidorchuk (2018). * A

hard tick The Ixodidae are the family of hard ticks or scale ticks, one of the three families of ticks, consisting of over 700 species. They are known as 'hard ticks' because they have a scutum or hard shield, which the other major family of ticks, the 'sof ...

wrapped in

spider silk Spider silk is a protein fibre spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make Spider web, webs or other structures, which function as sticky nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons to protect their offspring, or to wrap up prey. ...

is described from the

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

by Dunlop ''et al.'' (2018). * A male specimen of a tick belonging to the genus ''

Ornithodoros ''Ornithodoros'' is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, Argasidae. Physiology The opening between the midgut and hindgut has been lost, making the ticks unable to pass digestive waste products out of their bodies. Taxonomy The Linnean name ...

'' and the subgenus (''Alectorobius'') is described from the

Dominican amber Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic derived from resin of the extinct tree ''Hymenaea protera''. Dominican amber differentiates itself from Baltic amber by being nearly always transparent, and it has a higher number of fossil incl ...

by Estrada-Peña & de la Fuente (2018), who also provide illustrated interpretations intended to support the validity of the identity of the fossils reported by de la Fuente (2003). * A

pseudoscorpion Pseudoscorpions, also known as false scorpions or book scorpions, are small, scorpion-like arachnids belonging to the order Pseudoscorpiones, also known as Pseudoscorpionida or Chelonethida. Pseudoscorpions are generally beneficial to humans sin ...

attached to barbules of a

contour feather The pennaceous feather is a type of feather present in most modern birds and in some other species of maniraptoriform dinosaurs. Description A pennaceous feather has a stalk or quill. Its basal part, called a ''calamus'', is embedded in the skin ...

, possibly documenting a

phoretic Phoresis or phoresy is a non-permanent, commensalistic interaction in which one organism (a phoront or phoretic) attaches itself to another (the host) solely for the purpose of travel. Phoresis has been observed directly in ticks and mites s ...

association between pseudoscorpions and

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...

birds, is described from the

amber from

by Xing, McKellar & Gao (2018). * A study on the phylogenetic history of spiders, based on molecular data and re-examination of the global fossil record, as well as on the ancestral predatory strategies among different groups of spiders and some of the possible drivers of spider diversification during the Early Cretaceous greenhouse, is published by Shao & Li (2018). * A study on the burrows produced by

wolf spider Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (). They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or ...

s belonging to the genus '' Pavocosa'', aiming to identify ichnological signatures which may facilitate identification of wolf spider burrows in the fossil record, is published by Mendoza Belmontes, Melchor & Piacentini (2018). * Fossil

crevice weaver Crevice weaver spiders (Filistatidae) comprise cribellate spiders with features that have been regarded as "Primitive (phylogenetics), primitive" for araneomorph spiders. They are weavers of funnel or tube webs. The family contains 18 genera and m ...

'' Misionella didicostae'' from

is transferred to the genus ''

Antilloides ''Antilloides'' is a genus of spiders in the family Filistatidae Crevice weaver spiders (Filistatidae) comprise cribellate spiders with features that have been regarded as " primitive" for araneomorph spiders. They are weavers of funnel or tube ...

'' by Magalhaes (2018). * Evidence of a fossilized

cobweb A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word '' coppe'', meaning "spider") is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. Spi ...

, and a possible case of predation of a

theridiid Theridiidae, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders, is a large family of araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. This diverse, globally distributed family includes over 3,000 sp ...

spider on a dolichopodid fly, are reported from the

Mexican amber Mexican amber, also known as Chiapas Amber is amber found in Mexico, created during the Early Miocene and middle Miocene epochs of the Cenozoic Era in southwestern North America. As with other ambers, a wide variety of taxa have been found as inc ...

by García-Villafuerte (2018).

New taxa

Crustaceans

Research

* Redescription of the Ordovician

malacostraca Malacostraca (from New Latin; ) is the largest of the six classes of crustaceans, containing about 40,000 living species, divided among 16 orders. Its members, the malacostracans, display a great diversity of body forms and include crabs, lobst ...

n '' Wuningia multisegmenlata'' is published by Lin (2018). * A member of the erymid genus '' Enoploclytia'' is described from the Oxfordian deposits of

Cricquebœuf Cricquebœuf () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The following is a list of the 528 communes of the Calvados department of Fr ...

(

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

) by Devillez, Charbonnier & Pezy (2018), representing the first

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

occurrence of the genus reported so far. * Redescription of '' Palaeopalaemon newberryi'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships and life habits of this species is published by Jones ''et al.'' (2018). * Description of the

of '' Tetrachela raiblana'' and a study on its implication for understanding of the homologies of

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

grooves between polychelidans and other decapods is published by Audo, Hyžný & Charbonnier (2018). * A large-sized (12.9 mm maximum length) right valve of a marine

ostracod Ostracods, or ostracodes, are a class of the Crustacea (class Ostracoda), sometimes known as seed shrimp. Some 70,000 species (only 13,000 of which are extant) have been identified, grouped into several orders. They are small crustaceans, typic ...

is described from the

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by Xing ''et al.'' (2018). * A study evaluating how sexual selection related to species extinction in fossil cytheroid ostracods is published by Fernandes Martins ''et al.'' (2018), who report that species with more pronounced sexual dimorphism had higher estimated extinction rates. * An ostracod fauna including four species belonging to the suborder Darwinulocopina is described from the Lower Jurassic (

Hettangian The Hettangian is the earliest age and lowest stage of the Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (My ...

) Whitmore Point Member of the Moenave Formation (

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) by Antonietto ''et al.'' (2018), potentially representing the last episode of darwinulocopine dominance in nonmarine environments before the Late Jurassic diversification of the cypridocopine and cytherocopine modern ostracods. * Oxygen-isotope analysis of a

whale barnacle Whale barnacles are species of acorn barnacle that belong to the family Coronulidae. They typically attach to baleen whales, and sometimes settle on toothed whales. The whale barnacles diverged from the turtle barnacles about three million year ...

specimen collected from early

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

deposits of

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

) is published by Collareta ''et al.'' (2018), who interpret their findings as indicating that the barnacle lived on a

cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel them ...

n that seasonally migrated towards high-latitude areas outside the Mediterranean.

New taxa

Malacostracans

Ostracods

Other crustaceans

Insects

Trilobites

Research

* Frontal auxiliary impressions (muscle scars on the

glabella The glabella, in humans, is the area of skin between the eyebrows and above the nose. The term also refers to the underlying bone that is slightly depressed, and joins the two brow ridges. It is a cephalometric landmark that is just superior to ...

) are described in ''

Mesolenellus ''Mesolenellus'' is an extinct genus of trilobites that lived during the lower Cambrian (Botomian), found in Greenland and Spitsbergen. Etymology ''Mesolenellus'' is a contraction of meso - middle - and ''Olenellus'', the genus from which it w ...

hyperboreus'' from

Cambrian Stage 4 Cambrian Stage 4 is the still unnamed fourth stage of the Cambrian and the upper stage of Cambrian Series 2. It follows Cambrian Stage 3 and lies below the Wuliuan. The lower boundary has not been formally defined by the International Commission on ...

strata of North Greenland by Lerosey-Aubril & Peel (2018), providing new information on the evolution of a pouch-like digestive organ with powerful extrinsic muscles (i.e. a crop) in trilobites. * A study on complete

moulted In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...

s of ''

Estaingia bilobata ''Estaingia bilobata'' is a species of trilobite from the lower Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 ...

'' and '' Redlichia takooensis'' from the

Emu Bay Shale (

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

), and their implications for inferring the course of moulting in trilobites, is published by Drage ''et al.'' (2018). * A study assessing the morphological differences within and among three populations of ''

Oryctocephalus ''Oryctocephalus'' is a genus of trilobite known from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. 24 specimens of ''Oryctocephalus'' are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they comprise 0.42% of the community. This small- to medium-sized trilobit ...

indicus'' from the

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, using a new method of analysing small morphological features, is published by Esteve ''et al.'' (2018). * A study on early post-embryonic developmental stages of the Cambrian trilobite '' Ellipsostrenua granulosa'' is published by Laibl, Cederström &

Ahlberg Ahlberg or Åhlberg is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alf Ahlberg (1892–1979), Swedish writer, humanist and philosopher *Bruno Ahlberg (1911–1966), Finnish boxer * Flemming Ahlberg (born 1946), Danish footballer * Gillis A ...

(2018). * A study on the

ontogeny Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the stu ...

of the co-occurring shumardiid trilobites '' Akoldinioidia latus'' and '' Koldinioidia choii'' from the middle

Furongian The Furongian is the fourth and final epoch and series of the Cambrian. It lasted from to million years ago. It succeeds the Miaolingian series of the Cambrian and precedes the Lower Ordovician Tremadocian Stage. It is subdivided into three sta ...

Hwajeol Formation (

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

) is published by Park (2018). * Remains of the digestive system of a specimen of the bathycheilid species '' Prionocheilus vokovicensis'' from the Ordovician Šárka Formation (

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

) are described by Fatka & Budil (2018). * A study on the postembryonic development of ''

Dalmanitina ''Dalmanitina'' is an extinct genus of trilobite in the family Dalmanitidae Dalmanitidae is a family of trilobites in the order Phacopida that lived from the Floian The Floian is the second stage of the Ordovician Period. It succeeds the Tr ...

'', based on a large sample of specimens from the Upper Ordovician Prague Basin, is published by Drage, Laibl & Budil (2018). * A large and almost complete dorsal

of a trilobite referred to the species '' Dipleura dekayi'' is described from the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

Floresta Formation The Floresta Formation ( es, Formación Floresta, Df) is a geological formation of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The sequence of siltstones, shales, coquinas and sandstone beds dates to the Devonian per ...

(

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

) by Carvalho (2018). * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of species belonging to the genus ''

Metacryphaeus ''Metacryphaeus'' is an extinct genus of trilobites from the family Calmoniidae. ''Metacryphaeus'' fossils have been found in Bolivia, Brazil, South Africa and Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, Repúbl ...

'' is published by Carbonaro ''et al.'' (2018), who also perform a palaeobiogeographic analysis for the distribution of the genus.

New taxa

Other arthropods

Research

* A study on the external and internal anatomy and possible lifestyle of ''

Waptia ''Waptia fieldensis'' is an extinct species of arthropod from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale ''Lagerstätte'' of Canada. It grew to a length of , and had a large bivalved carapace and a segmented body terminating into a pair of tail flaps. I ...

fieldensis'', based on revision of all available specimens available from the repositories in the

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

and the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

, is published by Vannier ''et al.'' (2018). * A study on the lateral tail flexibility in the eurypterid ''

Slimonia ''Slimonia'' is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. Fossils of ''Slimonia'' have been discovered in deposits of Silurian age in South America and Europe. Classified as part of the family Slimonidae alongside the relat ...

acuminata'' published by Persons & Acorn (2017) is criticized by Lamsdell, Marshall & Briggs (2018); Persons (2018) defends his original conclusions on the basis of a study of additional eurypterid specimens. * A study on the microstructure of gnathobasic spines on the coxa of extant Atlantic horseshoe crab,

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...

eurypterid ''

Eurypterus ''Eurypterus'' ( ) is an extinct genus of eurypterid, a group of organisms commonly called "sea scorpions". The genus lived during the Silurian period, from around 432 to 418 million years ago. ''Eurypterus'' is by far the most well-studied and ...

tetragonophthalmus'' and

artiopoda The Artiopoda is a grouping of extinct arthropods that includes trilobites and their close relatives. It was erected by Hou and Bergström in 1997 to encompass a wide diversity of arthropods that would traditionally have been assigned to the Trilo ...

n '' Sidneyia inexpectans'' is published by Bicknell ''et al.'' (2018). * A study on the mechanical performance of the feeding appendages of ''Sidneyia inexpectans'', based on comparisons with extant Atlantic horseshoe crab, is published by Bicknell ''et al.'' (2018). * Bicknell, Pates & Botton (2018) report abnormalities in specimens of extant ('' Limulus polyphemus'', ''

Tachypleus tridentatus ''Tachypleus tridentatus'', commonly known as the Chinese horseshoe crab, Japanese horseshoe crab, or tri-spine horseshoe crab, is a species of horseshoe crab found in Southeast and East Asia, with records from China, Indonesia, Japan, South Kore ...

'') and fossil ('' Euproops danae'', ''

Mesolimulus ''Mesolimulus'' is an extinct genus of horseshoe crab. The best known examples are found in Solnhofen limestone near Solnhofen, Bavaria, Germany. Originally assigned to the living genus ''Limulus'', they are related to and look virtually identica ...

walchi'')

horseshoe crab Horseshoe crabs are marine and brackish water arthropods of the family Limulidae and the only living members of the order Xiphosura. Despite their name, they are not true crabs or crustaceans: they are chelicerates, most closely related to arachn ...

s, and compare injuries to horseshoe crab cephalothoraces to those affecting

s to explore the possible timing of the injuries. * Sánchez-García ''et al.'' (2018) report the presence of probable male clasping organs for courtship and securing the female during copulation in the

springtail Springtails (Collembola) form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects (the other two are the Protura and Diplura). Although the three orders are sometimes grouped together in a class called Ento ...

'' Pseudosminthurides stoechus'' and an aggregation of up to 45 specimens of the springtail ''

Proisotoma ''Proisotoma'' is a genus of elongate-bodied springtails in the family Isotomidae. There are at least 50 described species in ''Proisotoma''. Species These 50 species belong to the genus ''Proisotoma'': * ''Proisotoma aera'' Christiansen & Bel ...

communis'' from the

amber from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. * Closely associated arthropleurid trackways, interpreted as evidence of arthropleurid mating behaviour, are described from the Lower

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

(

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

) by Whyte (2018). * Two immature specimens of polyxenidan millipedes are described from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

Bitterfeld amber (

) by Haug ''et al.'' (2018). * First known millipede fossil material from Central America (disarticulated trunk segments of members of the genus ''

Nyssodesmus ''Nyssodesmus'' is a genus of flat-backed millipedes in the family Platyrhacidae. About a dozen species have been described, all native to Central America, occurring from Nicaragua to Panama. pp. 378-379 Species *'' Nyssodesmus alboalatus'' *'' ...

'' from the late Pleistocene of

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

) is described by Laurito & Valerio (2018). * Insect resting traces and arthropod trackways are described from the

Mount Wawel Formation ( King George Island,

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

) by Uchman, Gaździcki & Błażejowski (2018), who name a new ichnofamily Protichnidae and a new ichnospecies '' Glaciichnium australis''. * Revision of blood-feeding arthropods from the

Baltic amber The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...

is published by Pielowska, Sontag & Szadziewski (2018).

New taxa

References

{{reflist, 25em 2018 in paleontology 2010s in paleontology 2018 in science