Morphology and ontogeny of Hunanocephalus ovalis (trilobite) from the Cambrian of South China

•The material comprises an ontogenetic series from meraspid degree 0 to 10.•Two instars are recognized in each degree, with three and four pygidial segments.•Somitogenesis and tagmosis may progress separately in early Cambrian corynexochids.

The juvenile morphology and ontogeny of the Cheiruroidid trilobite Hunanocephalus ovalis Lee, 1963 from the lower Cambrian Shuijingtuo Formation in Hubei Province, South China is presented. The new material comprises a relatively complete meraspid ontogenetic series (degree 0 to 10), which reveals more details on their morphological changes such as the contraction and disappearance of the pronounced posteromedial notch in the pygidium and the addition of the trunk segments, which are all documented for the first time and can also be used as developmental markers defining their ontogenetic phases. The trunk segmentation schedule of H. ovalis is also discussed, which is similar to the other early Cambrian oryctocephalid trilobites, i.e. as the boundary between the thorax and pygidium migrated posteriorly there is no change in the trunk segment number; the processes of liberation of the thoracic segment and segment insertion into the pygidium are separated from one another, implying that the control of trunk exoskeletal segment appearance and articulation might be decoupled in these trilobites.

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