Abnormalities in early Paleozoic trilobites from central and eastern China

Abstract Malformations are common in trilobites, but the majority of described specimens are from Europe and North America. Only a few abnormal trilobites have been reported from China. Ten abnormal trilobites from Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian strata in central and eastern China are documented. The abnormal Ordovician trilobites are found for the first time in China. All malformations occur in the thoraxes and pygidia, and were caused by a sub-lethal predatory attack, genetic or embryological malfunction, or injury sustained during molting. It is difficult to identify the predators of the six injured trilobites, but potential predators include Cambrian non-trilobite arthropods, Ordovician cephalopods, and Silurian eurypterids, chondrichthyes or cephalopods, even cannibalistic trilobites. Abnormal specimens caused by sub-lethal predatory attacks mainly occur in Cambrian strata in China and other areas in the world, and are very rare in post-Cambrian strata. This pattern may reflect the rise of predators and increased predation in the post-Cambrian, which led to an increased trilobite fatality rate, thus reducing the probability that injured specimens would become fossilized.