Rejuvenation of Silurian Chitinozoans from Florida

Well preserved chitinozoans occur in great abundance in Ordovician and Silurian subsurface material of North-central Florida. In this paper three kinds of morphological characteristics of Wenlockian specimens are discussed: (1) the role of the prosome in rejuvenation; (2) the rejuvenation of ancyrochitid chitinozoans; and (3) the rejuvenation of desmochitid chitinozoans. It is concluded that, at least in ancyrochitid chitinozoans, the morphologic changes of the prosome are probably unrelated to the process of rejuvenation. However, as reported previously and confirmed here, in desmochitid chitinozoans the prosome seems to control the rejuvenation or division of the units. In desmochitids apparently every unit, and not only the first one, retained the capacity of undergoing