Weygoldtina

A single fossil from the Cape Breton Island was interpreted as a fossil dragonfly larva and described by Samuel Hubbard Scudder in 1876 as Libellula carbonaria. However, in 2018, researchers considered that the genus Graeophonus is invalid, because the holotype specimen of G. carbonarius (Libellula carbonaria) is poorly preserved and hard to identify as an amblypygid. Even in 1911, Pocock considered that the holotype specimen possibly did not belong to an amplypygid. More confusingly, A.I. Petrunkevitch suggested to use another more complete specimen as the holotype in 1913, even though the original holotype specimen was not lost at that time. To solve problems caused by this, Jason A. Dunlop erected a new genus, Weygoldtina, and placed most specimens of G. carbonarius and G. scudderi into the Weygoldtina scudderi, with G. anglicus being renamed as Weygoldtina anglica. == Morphology ==

W. scudderi had body length about . Study in 2021 shows two prominent spines on each pedipalp, which were not recognized before. Although the first pairs of legs are not completely preserved, they are probably long and antenna-like, the same as modern amblypygids. The main difference between the two species is the anterior projection from the prosomal dorsal shield. It is slightly wider, shorter, and more diffuse in W. scudderi. == Classification ==

caecus'' The morphology of both the abdomen and pedipalps in Weygoldtina is very similar to the modern genus Paracharon. In 2007, Weygoldtina (Graeophonus at that time) was placed in Paracharontidae, the same family as Paracharon. While Paracharon is notably blind, this is thought to be a secondary result of living almost exclusively within termite mounds. Thus, its blindness was not considered a reason to exclude Graeophonus from Paracharontidae. However, in 2017, Weygoldtina was rejected from Paracharontidae, and treated as stem-paleoamblypygid. Paleoamblypygi is a monophyletic suborder that contains Paracharon, Weygoldtina, in addition Paracharonopsis cambayensis that is described from Eocene Cambay amber. In 2018, new family Weygoldtinidae is given for Weygoldtina. Differences in morphology of the pedipalps and the first pair of legs in Paracharon and Weygoldtina may show closer relationship of Paracharon and Euamblypygi, but also this could be a point to an apomorphic condition of Weygoldtina. Researchers claimed that it needs to be considered that Weygoldtina is not as similar to Paracharon as a brief look might suggest, but is characterised by its own specialisations. ==References==