Hubbry Logo
CucumericrusCucumericrusMain
Open search
Cucumericrus
Community hub
Cucumericrus
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Cucumericrus
from Wikipedia

Cucumericrus
Temporal range: Miaolingian–Middle Cambrian
Trunk appengade of Cucumericrus decoratus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Stem group: Arthropoda
Genus: Cucumericrus
Hou, Bergstrom & Ahlberg, 1995
Type species
Cucumericrus decoratus
Hou, Bergstrom & Ahlberg, 1995

Cucumericrus ("cucumber-leg") is an extinct genus of stem-arthropod. The type and only species is Cucumericrus decoratus, with fossils discovered from the Maotianshan Shales of Yunnan, China.[1]

Description

[edit]

Cucumericrus is known from a few poorly preserved specimens.[1][2] Only fragments of trunk cuticle and corresponding appendages had been revealed, while features, such as head structures, which are important to determining its taxonomy, are unknown.[2][3] The trunk cuticle possess irregular wrinkles[1] and may had been soft in life.[4] Each of the trunk appendage compose of a dorsal flap-like element and a ventral stubby leg with unknown distal region,[1] structurally comparable to the trunk appendages of gilled lobopodians (dorsal flaps and ventral lobopods) and euarthropod biramous appendages (flap-like exopod and limb-like endopod).[3][5] Anterior margin of the flap lined with ray-like structures, similar to the body flaps of some radiodonts. The legs have been interpreted as somewhere between annulated lobopod legs and segmented arthropod legs.[4][5]

Taxonomic affinities

[edit]

Cucumericrus was originally described as a radiodont alongside Parapeytoia, a genus with somewhat similar trunk appendages, but later revealed to be a megacheiran[6][7][8][9] being misinterpreted as a leg-bearing radiodont at that time.[1] The radiodont affinity of Cucumericrus remain questionable, since the presence of legs is unknown from any other radiodonts and no other radiodont key features (e.g. frontal appendages; oral cone; head sclerites) had been discovered. Only a few phylogenetic analysis including Cucumericrus, either resolving it in a polytomy between euarthropods and other radiodonts (alongside Caryosyntrips)[10][11] or closer to euarthropods (as a basal deuteropod) than radiodonts.[12]

See also

[edit]
  • Caryosyntrips, another stem-arthropod with similar uncertainties.
  • Parapeytoia, a megacheiran once thought to be similarly leg-bearing radiodont.
  • Erratus, a basal deuteropod with similar component of trunk appendages.

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.