Branchiocaris
| Branchiocaris Temporal range: Mid Cambrian
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Reconstruction of Branchiocaris | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda
|
| Order: | |
| Genus: | Branchiocaris
|
Branchiocaris is a Cambrian organism known from Burgess shale-type localities.[1] 4 specimens of Branchiocaris are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they comprise <0.1% of the community.[2]
Discovery and close study of Tokummia katalepsis from the Burgess Shale, believed to be a close relative of Branchiocaris, has shed light on the evolutionary placement of Branchiocaris.[3] The authors find both species to be arthropods at a stem position within Mandibulata, ancestral to myriapods and crustaceans. They base this conclusion on characteristics of the head of these animals, including their mandibles, as well as body features.
References[]
- ^ Briggs, D. E. G.; Erwin, D. H.; Collier, F. J. (1995), Fossils of the Burgess Shale, Washington: Smithsonian Inst Press, ISBN 1-56098-659-X, OCLC 231793738
- ^ Caron, Jean-Bernard; Jackson, Donald A. (October 2006). "Taphonomy of the Greater Phyllopod Bed community, Burgess Shale". PALAIOS. 21 (5): 451–65. doi:10.2110/palo.2003.P05-070R. JSTOR 20173022.
- ^ Aria, Cédric; Caron, Jean-Bernard (26 April 2017). "Burgess Shale fossils illustrate the origin of the mandibulate body plan". Nature. 545 (7652): 89–92. doi:10.1038/nature22080. PMID 28445464.
External links[]
- "Branchiocaris pretiosa". Burgess Shale Fossil Gallery. Virtual Museum of Canada. 2011.
Categories:
- Burgess Shale fossils
- Cambrian genus extinctions
- Wheeler Shale