Microdictyon
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Microdictyon Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3–Middle Cambrian |
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| Model of Microdictyon on display at the Chengjiang fossil site museum | |
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| Microdictyon Fossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Stem group: | Onychophora |
| Genus: | †Microdictyon |
| Species | |
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See text
Microdictyon is an extinct "armored worm" coated with net-like scleritic scales, known from the Early Cambrian Maotianshan shale of Yunnan China. Microdictyon is sometimes included in a somewhat ill-defined Phylum – Lobopodia – that includes several other odd worm-like and segmented free-swimming animals that do not appear to be arthropods or worms. The phylum includes Microdictyon, Onychodictyon, Cardiodictyon, Luolishania, Paucipodia, as well as the Anomalocaridids. The isolated sclerites of Microdictyon are known from other Lower Cambrian deposits. Microdictyon sclerites appear to have moulted; one sclerite seems to have been preserved during ecdysis.
Microdictyon sinicum (Chen, Hou and Lu, 1989) is typical. The wormlike animal has ten pairs of sclerites (suggestions that these may be eyes or eye-like structures have no weight) on the sides, matched to a pair of tentacle-like feet below. The head and posterior are tubular and featureless.
In addition to the type species, eleven species:
A picture can be found at http://paws.wcu.edu/dperlmutr/earlyfauna.html.
The name Microdictyon is also used for a genus of green algae.
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