A palaeoscolecid worm from the Burgess Shale

Smith, M.R.

Abstract

Palaeoscolecid worms are a ubiquitous group of Early Palaeozoic ecdysozoans that are curiously lacking in the archetypal Cambrian Lagerstätten, the Burgess Shale. Here I describe Scathascolex minor gen. et sp. nov, the first unequivocal palaeoscolecid from this site. Scathascolex is armoured with simple Hadimopanella-like plates, but lacks smaller platelets, pointing to a close affinity with the Palaeoscolecida sensu stricto. Neither preservational nor environmental factors account for the scarcity of palaeoscolecids in the Burgess Shale, which presumably represents an ecological phenomenon.

Citation

Smith, M. (2015). A palaeoscolecid worm from the Burgess Shale. Palaeontology, 58(6), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12210

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 11, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Oct 15, 2015
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Oct 15, 2015
• Journal: Palaeontology
• Print ISSN: 0031-0239
• Electronic ISSN: 1475-4983
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 58
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 45-58
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12210
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1429089