Vermontcaris
| Vermontcaris Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 4
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Family: | Odaraiidae (?)
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| Genus: | Vermontcaris
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| Species: | V. montcalmi
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| Binomial name | |
| Vermontcaris montcalmi Pari et. al., 2022
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Vermontcaris is a genus of extinct bivalved arthropod,[1] possibly an odaraiid.[2] Its fossils have been discovered in the Parker Slate lagerstätte.[1]
Discovery and naming
Vermontcaris was discovered in the Parker Slate lagerstätte of Vermont. The genus name refers to the state in which it was found, while the species name refers to the Montcalm family, who owned the land on which the specimens of this species were discovered.[1]
Description
Vermontcaris had a cephalon with a pair of eyes located on stalks and a large, bivalved carapace. It had a thorax with an estimated over 30 to over 37 segments, each with at least one pair of biramous limbs. The abdomen had 4–5 segments without limbs. The abdomen terminated in a telson with a leaf-shaped structure on either side.[1]
Taxonomy
The genus contains one species, V. montcalmi.[1] Vermontcaris may be an odaraiid.[2]
Paleoecology
Other organisms from the Parker Slate lagerstätte include Fuxianospira gyrata, Leptomitus zitteli, ?Protospongia hicksi, ?Ottoia sp., Amplectobeluidae indet., Tuzoia polleni, Protocaris marshi, ?Herpetogastor sp. and Emmonsaspis cambrensis.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Pari, Giovanni; Briggs, Derek E. G.; Gaines, Robert R. (July 2022). "The soft-bodied biota of the Cambrian Series 2 Parker Quarry Lagerstätte of northwestern Vermont, USA". Journal of Paleontology. 96 (4): 770–790. doi:10.1017/jpa.2021.125. ISSN 0022-3360.
- ^ a b Izquierdo-López, Alejandro; Caron, Jean-Bernard (2024-07-24). "The Cambrian Odaraia alata and the colonization of nektonic suspension-feeding niches by early mandibulates". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 291 (2027) 20240622. doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.0622. PMC 11463219. PMID 39043240.