A Possible Anomalocaridid from the Cambrian Sirius Passet Lagerstätte, North Greenland

Abstract The Sirius Passet biota of North Greenland is one of the oldest Cambrian lagerstätten, and although it is dominated by non-mineralized arthropods and lobopods, anomalocaridids have never been identified. Based on a single specimen, we herein describe for the first time an appendage with possible anomalocaridid affinities as suggested by an overall gross morphology similar to that of the frontal appendage of Anomalocaris from other localitites. Tamisiocaris borealis n. gen. and n. sp. has an elongated appendage with paired spines along one margin, and differs from the frontal appendage of Anomalocaris in that segment boundaries are absent and ventral spines are relatively long and spineless. These differences may be taphonomic, but the entire surface of the appendage is covered in a fine fabric, making it unlikely that this appendage was originally segmented or sclerotized. The taxon is tentatively placed within Radiodonta, but this systematic placement cannot be confirmed while complete body specimens are lacking.

[1]  A. Daley,et al.  New anomalocaridid appendages from the Burgess Shale, Canada , 2010 .

[2]  M. Stein,et al.  A New ?Lamellipedian Arthropod from the Early Cambrian Sirius Passet Fauna of North Greenland , 2009, Journal of Paleontology.

[3]  G. Edgecombe,et al.  The Burgess Shale Anomalocaridid Hurdia and Its Significance for Early Euarthropod Evolution , 2009, Science.

[4]  B. Lieberman,et al.  Middle Cambrian Arthropods from Utah , 2008 .

[5]  D. Briggs,et al.  The nature and significance of the appendages of Opabinia from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale , 2007 .

[6]  D. Waloszek,et al.  A new 'great-appendage' arthropod from the Lower Cambrian of China and homology of chelicerate chelicerae and raptorial antero-ventral appendages , 2004 .

[7]  D. Siveter,et al.  The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjiang, China: The Flowering of Early Animal Life , 2004 .

[8]  Richard J. Aldridge,et al.  The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjiang, China , 2003 .

[9]  S. Braddy,et al.  The phylogeny of arachnomorph arthropods and the origin of the Chelicerata , 2003, Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences.

[10]  B. Lieberman.  A NEW SOFT-BODIED FAUNA: THE PIOCHE FORMATION OF NEVADA , 2003, Journal of Paleontology.

[11]  D. Collins,et al.  The Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale and its relationship to the Stephen Formation in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains , 1998 .

[12]  D. Collins.  The “evolution” of Anomalocaris and its classification in the arthropod class Dinocarida (nov.) and order Radiodonta (nov.) , 1996, Journal of Paleontology.

[13]  G. Budd.  The morphology of Opabinia regalis and the reconstruction of the arthropod stem‐group , 1996 .

[14]  P. Ahlberg,et al.  ANOMALOCARIS AND OTHER LARGE ANIMALS IN THE LOWER CAMBRIAN CHENGJIANG FAUNA OF SOUTHWEST CHINA , 1995 .

[15]  Jun‐yuan Chen,et al.  Evidence for Monophyly and Arthropod Affinity of Cambrian Giant Predators , 1994, Science.

[16]  G. Budd.  A Cambrian gilled lobopod from Greenland , 1993, Nature.

[17]  S. Morris,et al.  A Burgess shale-like fauna from the Lower Cambrian of North Greenland , 1987, Nature.

[18]  D. Briggs,et al.  The Largest Cambrian Animal, Anomalocaris, Burgess Shale, British Columbia , 1985 .

[19]  R. Robison,et al.  Exceptionally preserved nontrilobite arthropods and Anomalocaris from the Middle Cambrian of Utah , 1984 .

[20]  F. A. Bather.  Proceedings of the United States National Museum , 1899 .

[21]  S. Morris,et al.  New palaeoscolecidan worms from the lower Cambrian : Siriuis Fossil-Lagerstatte (North Greenland), Latham Shale (California), and Kinzers Shale (Pennsylvania) , 2010 .

[22]  S. Morris,et al.  The Earliest Annelids: Lower Cambrian Polychaetes from the Sirius Passet Lagerstätte, Peary Land, North Greenland , 2008 .

[23]  Hou Xian-guang.  Dinocaridids : anomalous arthropods or arthropod-like worms ? , 2008 .

[24]  L. Babcock,et al.  Palaeobiology, taphonomy and stratigraphic significance of the trilobite BUENELLUS from the Sirius Passet Biota, Cambrian of North Greenland , 2007 .

[25]  P. Roy,et al.  A spinose appendage fragment of a problematic arthropod from the Early Ordovician of Morocco , 2006 .

[26]  R. A. Dewel,et al.  The place of tardigrades in arthropod evolution , 1998 .

[27]  G. Budd.  Stem group arthropods from the Lower Cambrian Sirius Passet fauna of North Greenland , 1998 .

[28]  G. Budd.  The morphology and phylogenetic significance of Kerygmachela kierkegaardi Budd (Buen Formation, Lower Cambrian, N Greenland) , 1998, Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences.

[29]  C. Junyuan,et al.  Biology of the Chengjiang Fauna , 1997 .

[30]  C. Nedin.  The Emu Bay Shale, a Lower Cambrian fossil Lagerstätte, Kangaroo Island, South Australia , 1995 .

[31]  M. Masiak,et al.  Burgess Shale-type fossils in Cambrian sandstones of the Holy Cross Mountains , 1994 .

[32]  J. Dzik,et al.  The oldest arthropods of the East European Platform , 1988 .

[33]  P. Jakeš.  Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences: Vol. 71 (4 parts), published by Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1980. U.S. $75.00 , 1982 .

[34]  K. Lendzion.  Cassubia - a new generic name for Pomerania Lendzion, 1975 , 1977 .

[35]  K. Lendzion.  Fauna of the Mobergella zone in the Polish Lower Cambrian , 1975 .

[36]  D. Briggs,et al.  ANOMALOCARIS, THE LARGEST KNOWN CAMBRIAN ARTHROPOD , 1972 .

[37]  C. E. Resser.  New Lower and Middle Cambrian Crustacea , 1929 .