Kerygmachela

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Kerygmachela
Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3
21091022 Kerygmachela kierkegaardi.png
Reconstruction of Kerygmachela kierkegaardi based on later observation of 2018.[1]
Kerygmachela dorsal 623x232.png
Outdated reconstruction of Kerygmachela kierkegaardi, showing a pair of cerci.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
†Lobopodia
Class:
†Dinocaridida
Genus:
†Kerygmachela
Budd, 1993
Species:
†K. kierkegaardi

Kerygmachela kierkegaardi is a gilled lobopodian from the Buen Formation (Cambrian Stage 3) of the Sirius Passet Lagerstätte, in northern Greenland. Its anatomy strongly suggests that it, along with its relative Pambdelurion whittingtoni, was a close relative of radiodont (anomalocaridids) and euarthropods.[2][1] The generic name "Kerygmachela" derives from the Greek words Kerygma (proclamation) and Chela (claw), in reference to the flamboyant frontal appendages. The specific name, "kierkegaardi" honors Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.[2][1]

Morphology[]

Eyes (deep blue), brain (light blue) and digestive system (yellow) of Kerygmachela.

The head of Kerygmachela possess a pair of well-developed frontal appendages which correspond to those of other dinocaridids and siberiid lobopodians.[3] Each of them terminated with a series of long spines. A pair of sessile, slit-like compound eyes were located slightly behind the base of these appendages.[1] A small anterior-facing mouth was located below its head and bore a pair of stylet-like structures.[1] The head also possesses a median lobe-like projection that carries a pair of small, possible ocular structures.[1] The body compose of 11 segments indicated by 4 dorsal turberculates on each of them, associated with 11 pairs of lateral flaps with dorsal gill-like structure,[2] along with 11 pairs of small legs (lobopods) located just below the flaps.[2] The body ends with a single tail spine[1] which was formerly thought to be a pair of cerci.[2][4]

Internally, Kerygmachela possesses a well-developed pharynx[1] and a midgut with 8 pairs of arthropod-like digestive glands.[5] The brain compose of only protocerebrum (the frontalmost cerebral ganglion) with ramified nerves extended to the median lobe, frontal appendages and eyes.[1]

Paleoecology[]

The spiny frontal appendages suggests that Kerygmachela may have been a predator; however, fossils indicate a total size of approximately 175 mm and, with a relatively small mouth, suggest that it would have been restricted to very small prey.

Part of a series on
The Cambrian explosion
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Fossil localities
Key organisms
Ediacaran biota
Burgess-type
Small shelly fauna
Evolutionary concepts
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References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Park, Tae-Yoon S.; Kihm, Ji-Hoon; Woo, Jusun; Park, Changkun; Lee, Won Young; Smith, M. Paul; Harper, David A. T.; Young, Fletcher; Nielsen, Arne T.; Vinther, Jakob (2018-03-09). "Brain and eyes of Kerygmachela reveal protocerebral ancestry of the panarthropod head". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 1019. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03464-w. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 5844904. PMID 29523785.
  2. ^ a b c d e Budd, Graham E. (1993), "A Cambrian gilled lobopod from Greenland", Nature, 364 (6439): 709–711, doi:10.1038/364709a0
  3. ^ Ortega‐Hernández, Javier (2016). "Making sense of 'lower' and 'upper' stem-group Euarthropoda, with comments on the strict use of the name Arthropoda von Siebold, 1848". Biological Reviews. 91 (1): 255–273. doi:10.1111/brv.12168. ISSN 1469-185X.
  4. ^ Leanchoilia guts and the interpretation of three-dimensional structures in Burgess Shale-type fossils, Paleobiology
  5. ^ Vannier, Jean; Liu, Jianni; Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy; Vinther, Jakob; Daley, Allison C. (2014-05-02). "Sophisticated digestive systems in early arthropods". Nature Communications. 5 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1038/ncomms4641. ISSN 2041-1723. PMID 24785191.

Further reading[]

  • Budd, G. E. (1999), "The morphology and phylogenetic significance of Kerygmachela kierkegaardi Budd (Buen Formation, Lower Cambrian, N Greenland)", Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 89 (4): 249–290, doi:10.1017/S0263593300002418

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