A revision of brain composition in Onychophora (velvet worms) suggests that the tritocerebrum evolved in arthropods

Georg Mayer, Paul Mcdonald Whitington, Paul Sunnucks, Hans-Joachim Pflueger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

64 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: The composition of the arthropod head is one of the most contentious issues in animal evolution. In particular, controversy surrounds the homology and innervation of segmental cephalic appendages by the brain. Onychophora (velvet worms) play a crucial role in understanding the evolution of the arthropod brain, because they are close relatives of arthropods and have apparently changed little since the Early Cambrian. However, the segmental origins of their brain neuropils and the number of cephalic appendages innervated by the brain-key issues in clarifying brain composition in the last common ancestor of Onychophora and Arthropoda-remain unclear.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1 - 28
Number of pages28
JournalBMC Evolutionary Biology
Volume10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

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