Dinocaridida

Dinocaridida Temporal range: Cambrian–Middle Devonian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Assembly of dinocaridids (Anomalocaris, Opabinia, Pambdelurion and Kerygmachela)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	†Dinocaridida Collins, 1996
Subgroups
Parvibellus? Pambdelurion Omnidens? Kerygmachelidae Opabiniidae Radiodonta

Dinocaridida

Eyes (deep blue and black), brain (light blue) and digestive system (yellow) of Radiodonta (left), Kerygmachela (Center) and Opabinia (Right)

Dinocaridids were

Classification

Ecdysozoa Cycloneuralia Nematoda etc. Panarthropoda Onychophora Tardigrada † paraphyletic) † Siberiid lobopodians † Pambdelurion † Kerygmachela † Opabiniidae † Radiodonta Euarthropoda

Dinocaridida

Although some authors may rather suggest different taxonomic affinities (e.g. as

In the original description, Dinocaridida was composed of only Opabiniidae and Radiodonta.[1] With the exclusion of questionable taxa (e.g. the putative opabiniid Myoscolex^[27]), the former were known only by Opabinia, while all radiodont species were grouped under a single family: Anomalocarididae (hence the previous common name 'Anomalocaridids'^[18]). In later studies, the gilled lobopodians Pambdelurion and Kerygmachela were also regarded to be dinocaridids,^[7] two new opabiniid genera, Utaurora and Mieridduryn were described,^[28][29][30] other strange dinocaridids like Parvibellus (which might actually be a juvenile siberiid lobopodian),^[31][29] many radiodonts were reassigned to other new families (Amplectobeluidae, Tamisiocarididae and Hurdiidae),^[21] and a new family, Kerygmachelidae,^[29] was named.

Distribution

The group was geographically widespread, and has been reported from Cambrian strata in Canada, United States, Greenland, China, Australia and Russia,^[32] as well as the Ordovician of Morocco and Wales^[2][33][30] and Devonian of Germany.^[3]

Notes