Fuxianhuiida

Fuxianhuiida
Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3–Cambrian Stage 4
Life restorations of Fuxianhuia (top), Alacaris, (left) and Chengjiangocaris (right)
Guangweicaris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Order: †Fuxianhuiida
Bousfield, 1995
Genera
Restoration of Alacaris, with anterior of Chengjiangocaris bottom right.

Fuxianhuiida is an extinct clade of arthropods from the Cambrian of China. All currently known species are from Cambrian Series 2 aged deposits in Yunnan Province, including the Chengjiang biota. Although historically suggested to be members of the arthropod stem group[1] recent research has suggested that they may be closely related to mandibulates.[2] Many specimens are known with exceptional soft tissue preservation, including preserved guts and neural tissue, which given their basal phylogenetic position makes them important in understanding the evolution of Arthropoda as a whole.[3] They reach a size of up to 15 cm, and are interpreted as benthic predators and scavengers.[4] The Fuxianhuiid exoskeleton is unmineralised, and the number of tergites ranges from 15 to over 40. The cephalon is covered by a head shield and contains stalked eyes connected by the anterior sclerite, antennae, a butterfly shaped hyposome and a posterior facing mouth. Fuxianhuiids possess specialized post-antennal appendages with serrated edges used for food processing.[4] The presence of gnathobases in members of Chengjiangocardidae suggests that they were capable of durophagy.[1] In most Fuxianhuiids, the thorax tergites narrow posteriorly, terminating in either a swimming paddle or paired flukes with a tail spine. In members of Fuxianhuiidae the thorax is divided into two sections, the anterior wide opisthothorax and the posterior narrow limbless tail-like abdomen.[4]

  1. ^ a b Yang, Jie; Ortega-Hernández, Javier; Legg, David A.; Lan, Tian; Hou, Jin-bo; Zhang, Xi-guang (2018-02-01). "Early Cambrian fuxianhuiids from China reveal origin of the gnathobasic protopodite in euarthropods". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 470. Bibcode:2018NatCo...9..470Y. doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02754-z. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 5794847. PMID 29391458.
  2. ^ Aria, C.; Zhao, F.; Zhu, M. (2021). "Fuxianhuiids are mandibulates and share affinities with total-group Myriapoda". Journal of the Geological Society. 178 (5). Bibcode:2021JGSoc.178..246A. doi:10.1144/jgs2020-246. S2CID 233952670.
  3. ^ Yang, Jie; Ortega-Hernández, Javier; Butterfield, Nicholas J.; Liu, Yu; Boyan, George S.; Hou, Jin-bo; Lan, Tian; Zhang, Xi-guang (2016-03-15). "Fuxianhuiid ventral nerve cord and early nervous system evolution in Panarthropoda". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (11): 2988–2993. Bibcode:2016PNAS..113.2988Y. doi:10.1073/pnas.1522434113. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 4801254. PMID 26933218.
  4. ^ a b c Ortega-Hernández, Javier; Yang, Jie; Zhang, Xi-guang (2018-07-01). "Fuxianhuiids". Current Biology. 28 (13): R724–R725. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.042. PMID 29990450.