Weyla
Extinct pectinid bivalve with global Early Jurassic distribution.
Last updated
M. Ignace Domeyko · via Wikipedia: Weyla · Public domain
The genus lived during the Early Jurassic period and had a global, cosmopolitan distribution.[1][2] The extinct bivalve genus Weyla is classified within the scallop family Pectinidae.[1] Based on shell morphology and specimens found in life position, Weyla is interpreted as a sedentary recliner that lived semi-infaunally and, as an adult, lacked byssus attachment.[3]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumMollusca
- ClassBivalvia
- OrderPectinida
- FamilyPectinidae
- Genus†Weyla
Named by J. Böhm, 1920
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Weyla (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Family
- Pectinidae
- Period
- Early Jurassic
- Mode of life
- Sedentary, semi-infaunal
- Distribution
- Global (cosmopolitan)
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
The type species is Pecten alatus Buch, 1838.[3] The genus contains numerous species, including Weyla alata, Weyla ambongoensis, and Weyla titan.[4] The inner shell layer of Weyla is aragonitic with a cross-lamellar structure.[3] The only confirmed Weyla occurrence from the Hettangian stage is found in Canada.[2]
By the Sinemurian, the genus had achieved a circumpacific and southern distribution, reaching the Pacific coast of the Americas.[2]
What the cited sources add
The Pectinidae account notes that some authors considered Weyla ancestral to Neithea, but others reject a close phylogenetic relationship.[3] Weyla has a unique hinge configuration unlike that of Neithea, with a distinct hinge plate and interlocking transverse ridges.[3] A ctenolium is present in the early ontogeny of Weyla, a feature absent in Neithea and Tosapecten.[3] The genus is probably descended from the Pseudopecten dentatus group of the Lower Jurassic.[3]
Its strong differential valve convexity is an adaptation to a reclining mode of life.[3] Two subgenera are recognized from the Lower Jurassic: Weyla (Weyla) and Weyla (Lywea).[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Weyla" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "MolluscaBase - Weyla J. Böhm, 1920 †", www.molluscabase.org; Damborenea, "On the palaeogeographical distribution of the pectinid genus weyla (bivalvia, lower jurassic)", Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 1979, p. 85–102; "Weyla", Pectinidae (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Weyla" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Damborenea, "On the palaeogeographical distribution of the pectinid genus weyla (bivalvia, lower jurassic)", Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 1979, p. 85–102; "Weyla", Pectinidae (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Weyla", Pectinidae. facts only, no text reused. pectinidae.weebly.com
- Wikipedia, "Weyla" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "MolluscaBase - Weyla J. Böhm, 1920 †", www.molluscabase.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Weyla (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Giant Clams and Marine Bivalves
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Weyla (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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