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]

Branchiocaris
Temporal range: Mid Cambrian
Reconstruction of Branchiocaris
Scientific classification
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Branchiocaris

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

  1. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
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