The exoskeleton or
cuticle of arthropods is one of the most conspicuous features of the
phylum Arthropoda. Our research group in the Department of Geology at
Kent State University seeks to use all possible aspects of decapod
cuticle in the study of fossil decapods. Research on decapod body
fossils has a long history and is an area of active and fruitful
research; we wish to make the study of fossil and recent decapod
cuticle part of this research. Past work by our group involves the
description of fossil cuticle, comparative anatomy, and its functional
morphology. Current work includes aspects of the cuticle that results
in the preservation or non-preservation of decapods. Our overarching
goal is to research the ways in which fossil decapod cuticle may be
used as a tool to help understand the systematics and evolution of
decapods.
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SEM Photomicrograph of the living decapod
Cancer novaezelandiae
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Our Current
Cuticle Bibliography
Analytical
Cuticle Classification
Kent
State Invertebrate Paleontology Research Page
