Weania superba, (Mitchell 1918)

Vanderlaan, Tegan A. & Ebach, Malte C., 2015, A review of the Carboniferous and Permian trilobites of Australia, Zootaxa 3926 (1), pp. 1-56 : 45

Schizophillipsia superba (Mitchell 1918)

Fig. 7.3

1918 Phillipsia superba Mitchell ; p. 454–455, pl. 48, fig. 15, pl. 52, fig. 3. 1922 Phillipsia convexicaudata Mitchell ; p. 535–536, pl. 54, figs. 8–10. 1972 Cummingella ? superba ; Hahn & Hahn, p. 355.

1989 Gitarra superba ; Engel & Morris, p. 320–324, figs. 7–8.

1997 Weania (Rosehillia) superba ; Engel & Morris, p. 69, 79, 92 & 94.

Holotype. NGSF 15453 (internal mould of cranidium and librigena).

Locality. Type—unknown.

Emended diagnosis. Dorsal shield slightly convex; strongly incised glabella at γ, creating a bell-shaped outline; eyes large; palpebral lobes large, posteriorly placed; convex librigenae; short genal spines; occipital ring broader than base of glabella. 10 thoracic segments. Pygidium with 10–11 axial rings, 8–9 pleural ribs.

Remarks. Schizophillipsia superba was assigned to Gitarra by Engel & Morris (1989) due to its distinctive bell-shaped glabella and flat profile. Engel & Morris (1997) subsequently erected a new subgenus Weania (Rosehillia) to accommodate the species, as its flatter profile and pygidial features provided a better fit within their concept of Weania . However, the very distinctive shape of the glabella and the possession of 10 thoracic segments is more similar to Schizophillipsia.