Species

Osspecus morsus Jamison-Todd, Witts, Jones, Tangunan, Chandler, Bown et Twitchett, 2025

Type specimen data
holotype: Natural History Museum London ; NHMUK PX TF 310; Cenomanian , unrecorded, Kent
Reference:
Jamison-Todd, S., Witts, J. D., Jones, M. E. H., Tangunan, D., Chandler, K., Bown, P., Twitchett, R. J. 2025. The evolution of bone-eating worm diversity in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk Group of the United Kingdom. pp. e0320945. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0320945
Taxon description

Jamison-Todd et al., 2025a

Diagnosis. Borings with chamber diameters ranging from 1.3–2.4mm, and total depths from 2.3–3.7mm. Aperture necks can be variable in length. Chambers that are set deeper within the bone are connected to long, curved aperture necks leading to proportionally small chambers. The centre of radial symmetry of individual chambers is set at the base of the aperture neck, and there are commonly clusters of branches within these chambers, with individual radial symmetry. Branches are small and lobate and can create a ridged appearance around the edge of the chamber. Arc length is also variable, with some chambers branching widely over 180degrees and others branching in a narrow minor arc of less than 90degrees, giving the chambers a triangular cross-sectional shape that sometimes spreads into a broader arc.

Synonymy list
2025     Osspecus morsus isp. nov. — Jamison-Todd, Mannion & Upchurch , pp. 8, fig. 2E
2025     Osspecus morsus isp. nov. — Jamison-Todd, Witts, Jones, Tangunan, Chandler, Bown & Twitchett , pp. 9, fig. 3:E, F
2025     Osspecus morsus isp. nov. — Jamison-Todd, Witts, Jones, Tangunan, Chandler, Bown & Twitchett , pp. 9, fig. 3:E, F
Selection of related publications
Jamison-Todd, S., Mannion, P. D., Upchurch, P. 2025. The earliest fossil cetacean with Osedax borings: narrowing the spatiotemporal gap between Cretaceous marine reptiles and late Cenozoic whales. Royal Society Open Science 12, 6, 13 pages. DOI:10.1098/rsos.250446
Jamison-Todd, S., Witts, J. D., Jones, M. E. H., Tangunan, D., Chandler, K., Bown, P., Twitchett, R. J. 2025. The evolution of bone-eating worm diversity in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk Group of the United Kingdom. PLOS ONE 20, 4, e0320945. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0320945
References based on distribution