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Extinct genus of Cambrian lobopodian From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jianshanopodia is a monotypic genus of Cambrian lobopodian, discovered from Maotianshan Shales of Yunnan, China.[2]
Jianshanopodia resemble the closely-related siberiid Megadictyon. The head possess a pair of frontal, grasping[3] appendages bear wedge-shaped plates. The pharynx was surrounded by rows of denticles, resembles those of radiodonts and priapulids.[4][5] The trunk was annulated and possesses a pair of stout legs (lobopods) per body segment. Due to the lack of a complete specimen, the exact number of body segments/leg pair is uncertain. If 12 body segments present, the living animal might grew over 20 cm.[2] Each of the leg was lined up with rows of tubercles and tree-like branches,[2] instead of being tipped with claws as many lobopodians are.[3] The trunk terminated with a large median lobe and a pair of small lateral lobes, forming a fan-like structure.[2] Inside the trunk was a sediment-filled gut surrounded by serially repeated diverticulae.[3][2]
Jianshanopodia was suggested to be mainly crawled on the sea floor, but could swim with its fan-like tail when necessary.[2][3] The leg branches might function as external gills.[2] It is thought to be predatory and have sucked up prey with its short 'trunk',[3] consuming food items with its robust mouthparts and gut diverticulae.[6]
Phylogenetic position of Jianshanopodia according to Pates et al. (2022).[7]
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