Habeliida

Habeliida is an order of extinct arthropods that existed during the middle Cambrian. It is divided into two families, Habeliidae (monotypic, containing only Habelia), and Sanctacarididae (containing Sanctacaris, Utahcaris and Wisangocaris). They are thought to have been durophagous, with robust gnathobases (spined basal sections of limbs) used to shred hard-shelled organisms. Remains of trilobites have been found as stomach contents in Wisangocaris.^[1] Messorocaris has been suggested to be part of the order in some studies, but this is uncertain.^[2] They are suggested to be stem-group chelicerates, though they lack the chelicerae present in true chelicerates.^[3]

Habeliida Temporal range: Middle Cambrian–Miaolingian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Habelia
Sanctacaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Order:	†Habeliida Aria and Caron, 2017
Families
†Habeliidae †Habelia †Sanctacarididae †Sanctacaris †Utahcaris †Wisangocaris †Messorocaris?

Life restoration of Wisangocaris feeding on trilobites.

Cladogram after O’Flynn et al, 2023:^[4]

Total group Arthropoda

"Gilled lobopodians" (Pambdelurion, Kerygmachela) Opabinia Radiodonta (e.g Anomalocaris) Deuteropoda Kylinxia Fengzhengia Kiisortoqia Bushizheia Megacheira Habeliida Mollisonia Chelicerata (horseshoe crabs, sea spiders, arachnids, etc) "Great appendage bivalved forms" (Occacaris, Forfexicaris) Isoxyida Artiopoda (including Trilobita) Mandibulata Fuxianhuiida Myriapoda (millipedes, centipedes, etc) Hymenocarina Pancrustacea (crustaceans, insects, etc)