Jason A. Dunlop
Biography:
Jason has been interested in arachnids since childhood — receiving a pet tarantula for his 16th birthday. He studied zoology in the Department of Pure and Applied Biology at the University of Leeds (1988–91), and followed this with a PhD in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Manchester (1991–94). This had the title “Palaeobiology of the trigonotarbid arachnids”, an extinct arachnid group, and was carried out under the supervision of Dr Paul Selden. He remained in Manchester for a further three years (1994–97) on a NERC postdoctoral research fellowship entitled “Origins and early radiation of the chelicerates”. Since 1997 he has been curator of arachnids, myriapods and stem-group arthropods at the Museum for Naturkunde in Berlin, Germany. His principal research interests remain the use of fossil arachnids for answering larger evolutionary questions, as well as the comparative morphology of living and extinct arachnids and their relatives. Together with co-workers, he has compiled a regularly updated list of all known fossil arachnids described in the literature. He is currently Secretary of the International Society of Arachnology, Vice-President of the European Society of Arachnology and a handling editor for papers on terrestrial arthropods submitted to the journal Palaeontology.
Contact Details:
Dr. Jason A. Dunlop, Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
Articles by Author:
| Volume 2 | Article 6 | Page 1-9 | Download (.pdf) |
Fossil Focus: Xiphosura
by Jason A. Dunlop*1 Introduction: The Xiphosura are commonly known as horseshoe crabs because the front part of their bodies is horseshoe-shaped. They have sometimes been called king crabs, although this name is also used for a group of large … Continue reading
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How to Reference this Article: Dunlop, Jason A. 2012. Fossil Focus: Xiphosura. Palaeontology Online, Volume 2, Article 6, 1-9. |
| Volume 1 | Article 7 |
Fossil Focus: Arachnida
by Jason A. Dunlop*1 Introduction: Arachnida is one of the major arthropod groups. It includes spiders (Araneae), scorpions (Scorpiones), mites (Acari) and harvestmen (Opiliones), as well as a number of rarer and less familiar groups (Fig 1). The name Arachnida … Continue reading
| Volume 1 | Article 6 |
Fossil Focus: Chasmataspidida
by Jason A. Dunlop*1 Introduction: Chasmataspidida (Fig 1) are rare, extinct arthropods known only from the early to mid Palaeozoic Era. They are probably closely related to either xiphosurans (horseshoe crabs; Fig 2) or eurypterids (sea scorpions; Fig 1); some … Continue reading
| Volume 1 | Article 3 | Download (.pdf) |
Fossil Focus: Pycnogonida
by Jason A. Dunlop*1 Introduction: Pycnogonida, or sea spiders, are not true spiders at all. They are in fact a group of — probably rather primitive — marine arthropods, characterized by a small, slender body and in many cases by … Continue reading
| Volume 1 | Article 1 | Page 1-8 | Download (.pdf) |
Fossil Focus: Chelicerata
by Jason A. Dunlop*1 Introduction: Chelicerata is one of the main divisions of the arthropods, and essentially consists of arachnids and their closest relatives. The name was coined in 1901 by the Berlin-based zoologist Richard Heymons (Fig. 1). It means … Continue reading
