Miniaturization and heterochrony in Homoeorhynchia meridionalis and H. cynocephala (Brachiopoda, Rhynchonellidae) from the Jurassic of the Iberian Range, Spain

Abstract

The miniaturization of shells, often observed in Mesozoic brachiopods, is analyzed in two species of the well-known genus Homoeorhynchia. We investigated shell development in the context of recent works that consider growth as a function of size, shape, and age. The miniaturization results from heterochronic disturbances during development. Although these shells exhibit a large morphological plasticity, architectural constraints limit their morphogenesis, so that small adult specimens are not exactly reduced replicas of large ones. Adult morphology depends largely on the pattern of rib formation, with miniaturization arising by two different processes affecting this pattern: predisplacement of the appearance of ribs in H. meridionalis and acceleration in H. cynocephala. The first case seems to be a reversible process without evolutionary consequences, but the second occurs within an evolutionary trend. In both cases, the miniaturization seems to be related to environmental influences. Study of the growth pathway of these species allows recognition of basic characters in the morphological variation of populations.