''Websteroprion'' ("Webster's saw") is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

eunicida Eunicida is an order of polychaete worms. Characteristics Members of this order have an elongated, segmented body and a distinct head, normally with a separate peristomium and prostomium. Many, but not all, live in tubes which vary from a mucou ...

polychaete Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class (biology), class of generally marine invertebrate, marine annelid worms, common name, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that ...

that lived during the middle

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 ...

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

in what is now

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It contains a single

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, ''W. armstrongi'', recovered from the Kwataboahegan Formation.

Etymology

The genus was named after the bassist

Alex Webster Alex Webster (born 1969) is an American bass player who is best known as a member of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He is one of two remaining members of the original lineup of the band, along with drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. He is al ...

of the death metal band

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...

Description

''Websteroprion'' is known from the maxillae of several individuals in one location. These maxillae reaching in length, with one incomplete specimen that supposed to be bigger in full size. These are the largest jaws of any fossil polychaete. A larger fossil jaw had been reported in 1934Eller E. R. Annelid jaws from the Hamilton group of Ontario County, New York. Ann. Carnegie Mus. 24, 51–56 (1934). but that specimen is too undiagnostic so it regarded as a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

''. Referencing the jaw to body size ratio of other polychaetes, ''Websteroprion'' could have grown to long, though the exact size is unknown without soft tissue preservation. The maxillae of ''Websteroprion'' are deticulated, while those of extant eunicids and onuphids are not. However, larvae of these two modern families do have deticulated maxillae, possibly strengthening an ancestral connection between the groups. No mandibles were found alongside the maxillae at the site of discovery, which leads to the possibility that these structures could not be preserved or that the maxillae were shed by ''Websteroprion'' while their mandibles were not.

Paleoecology

The feeding practices of ''Websteroprion'', though unknown, may be similar to the modern day

Eunice aphroditois ''Eunice aphroditois'' is a benthic bristle worm of warm marine waters. It lives mainly in the Atlantic Ocean, but can also be found in the Indo-Pacific. It ranges in length from less than to . Its iridescent cuticle produces a wide range of co ...

due to similarities in jaw structure. If this is true, ''Websteroprion'' would use its large jaws to eat live prey, algae, and decaying matter. However, the jaws of polychaetes do not necessarily designate specific feeding habits, so precise knowledge remains unknown without preserved gut content or soft tissue. All of the specimens of ''Websteroprion'' are of a similar large size, which may indicate juveniles and adults had differing environmental preferences and thus would not be preserved together. Though juvenile specimens may have simply not been preserved. The large size of ''Websteroprion'' is unique compared to other Devonian polychaetes, and the specific driving mechanisms for the increased size, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, are unknown.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q31837657 Devonian Canada Fossils of Canada Fossil taxa described in 2017 Polychaete genera