V. On a new type of crustacean from the old red sandstone (Rhymie Chert Bed, Aberdeenshire) — Lepidocaris rhyniensis , gen. et sp. nov

Abstract

The Chert Bed of Middle, or possibly Lower, Old Red Sandstone age discovered by Dr. W. Mackie (1914) at Rhynie, in Aberdeenshire, has become famous among palæo-botanists on account of the beautifully preserved remains of the earliest known land plants, described by the late Dr. Kidston and Prof. Lang (1917-1921). In addition to the plants, however, the Rhynie Chert also contains animal remains, for the most part very small and in a very fragmentary condition, although the fragments themselves are in many cases exceedingly well preserved. The vast majority of these animal remains are evidently Crustacean in character, and it was at first thought (see British Association Report, 1919, p. 110) that they belonged to several, or at least to two, different species. Subsequent work has, however, convinced me that all the Crustacean remains so far seen in the Rhynie Chert belong to the one species described in this paper.