Emeraldella, Cambrian Problematic Soft-bodied Fossil

Emeraldella sp., Soft-bodied animal

Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Chelicerata (?) Emeraldellida, Lamellipedia, Emeraldellidae

Geological Time: Middle Cambrian

Size: 32mm long on matrix that is 90 X 150mm and 75 X 85mm

Fossil Site: House Range, Marjum Formation, Millard County, Utah

EmeraldellaEmeraldella bella is a problematic animal that also occurs in the Burgess Shale that is usually considered a primitive soft-bodied Arthropod of uncertain class. Research has also suggested that the animal belongs to a clade related to Chelicerata that includes the spiders and scorpions (Araneida), horseshoe crabs (Xiphosura) and the extinct sea scorpions (Eurypterida). This specimen is exceptional and rare in the Marjum Formation of Utah and is shown here with both part and counterpart. Emeraldella also has some similarities to Parapaleomerus sinensis from the Chengjiang Biota.

Also See: Utah Cambrian Explosion Fossils Trilobites Relatives

click to enlarge

Fossil Museum Navigation:
Geological Time Paleobiology Geological History Tree of Life
Fossil Sites Fossils Evolution Fossil Record Museum Fossils