https://www.openpalaeo.org/ <p><strong><em>Open Palaeontology </em>(ISSN: <span lang="EN-GB">3042-657X) </span>is an international Diamond Open Access journal promoting open science in the field of palaeontology. <em>Open Palaeontology</em> publishes research on advances knowledge and methodologies across all aspects of palaeontology. </strong></p> <p>We are currently growing <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.openpalaeo.org/join-the-team">our team</a></span></strong>, so please <strong><a href="https://www.openpalaeo.org/about/contact">contact us</a></strong> if you are interested in joining the <em>Open Palaeontology</em> journal team. </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We welcome the submission of articles on any topic related to palaeontological research. This includes, but is not limited to, taxonomic descriptions of new fossil taxa, palaeobiology, palaeoecology, taphonomy, palaeontology database creation, biostratigraphy, micropalaeontology, palaeobotany, education in palaeontology, and the societal applications of palaeontological research.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can find out more about <em>Open Palaeontology</em> <a href="https://www.openpalaeo.org/about-openpalaeo"><strong>here</strong></a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, University of Lausanne, Switzerland en-US Open Palaeontology 3042-657X https://www.openpalaeo.org/article/view/6970 <p>The fossil record of <em>Arthropleura</em>, distributed in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coalfield (France) and some Belgian localities, is reassessed and compared to new material discovered in new localities of the Bruay Formation. Based on tergite ornamentation, the Bruay specimens are attributed to <em>Arthropleura</em> <em>mammata</em>. Two specimens are preserved with their head, allowing the description of the head anatomy of this species for the first time. We estimated the size of the most complete remains from the newly investigated localities, with a maximum length probably reaching 50 centimetres. The geographical extension of <em>A. mammata</em> can be extended to the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and to the Saarland coal basins. Some specimens from the Bruay Formation consist of K-plates, typical ventral plates of arthropleurids displaying well-preserved pierced tubercules. These pierced tubercules are also found in K-plates of <em>Arthropleura cristata</em>, found in the Mazon Creek Lagerst¨atte, and could represent spiracles similar to the ones found in millipedes. This suggests that <em>Arthropleura</em> possessed a tracheal system for respiration and, combined with other anatomical factors, would confirm it as a terrestrial arthropod.</p> Mickaël Lhéritier Bruno Vallois Claudie Durand Copyright (c) 2025 Mickaël Lhéritier, Bruno Vallois, Claudie Durand https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-06-02 2025-06-02 2 1 1 15 10.26034/la.opal.2025.6970