Colymbosathon
| Colymbosathon | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Ostracoda |
| Order: | Myodocopida |
| Family: | Cylindroleberididae |
| Genus: | †Colymbosathon Siveter, Sutton, Briggs & Siveter, 2003 |
| Species: | †C. ecplecticos
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Colymbosathon ecplecticos Siveter, Sutton, Briggs & Siveter, 2003
| |
Colymbosathon ecplecticos is a fossil ostracod described from a specimen obtained from Herefordshire which is dated to the Silurian (425 Ma). It was given a binomial name in 2003 and is the only species within the genus Colymbosathon. The generic name is from Greek Kolymbos (swimmer) and sathon (having a large penis) while the species epithet is from ekplektikos meaning "astounding".
Imaging and virtual reconstruction of the fossil showed that the soft parts were well-preserved. The specimen was placed in the Cylindroleberididiae based on its having six pairs of gills. The bivalved carapace is about 5210 μm long. The specimen, a male, was found to have a large copulatory organ. The find was popularized as being the oldest known penis.[1] It is the oldest known specimen with gills among fossil ostracods.[2]
References
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