Emeraldella
| Emeraldella Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Emeraldella brocki | |
| |
| Emeraldella brutoni | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| (unranked): | †Artiopoda |
| (unranked): | † Vicissicaudata
|
| Genus: | †Emeraldella Walcott, 1912 |
| Type species | |
| Emeraldella brocki Walcott, 1912
| |
| Other species | |
|
Emeraldella brutoni Stein, Church & Robison, 2011 | |
Emeraldella is a genus of
Middle Cambrian of North America. The type species E. brocki was described in 1912 from the Burgess Shale.[1] 21 specimens of Emeraldella are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they comprise < 0.1% of the community.[2] A re-study on the species was done in 2012.[3] A second species E. brutoni is known from the Wheeler Shale, which was described in 2011.[4] An additional specimen of E. brutoni was described in 2019, which revealed more of the anatomy.[5] It has been placed as a basal member of the clade Vicissicaudata within Artiopoda, a group of arthropods containing trilobites and their relatives.[5]
Description
Caudal flaps are present on the terminal tergite, alongside an elongated spine.[3]
Emeraldella brocki
E. brocki is at least 60 mm in length, it possesses 12
Ocular structures appear to be absent in this species.[3]
Emeraldella brutoni
E. brutoni is up to 50 mm in length, possesses 10 trunk tergites and a clear ocellii. Unlike E. brocki, its antennae are not preserved well enough to estimate the true length.[5]
References
External links
- "Emeraldella brocki". Burgess Shale Fossil Gallery. Virtual Museum of Canada. 2011. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- "Emeraldella, Cambrian Problematic Soft-bodied Fossil". fossilmuseum.net. Archived from the original on 2021-11-29.