Gonad pouches in a new clam-like monoplacophoran from the Silurian of Sweden

Abstract
BEYRICHIDISCUS fecundatus gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Upper Silurian of Gotland, Sweden. The minute, isostrophically coiled mollusk exhibits profound allometry and is considered to have been a monoplacophoran on the basis of functional interpretation of apertural structures. A clam-like, semi-infaunal mode of life is suggested. A pair of prominent lateral swellings in the adult shell are interpreted as reflecting the location of the gonads.