Lecythioscopa

Lecythioscopa is a genus of probable archaeopriapulid known from two specimens from the Walcott Quarry from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale.^[1]

Lecythioscopa Temporal range: 505 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Burgess Shale
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Stem group:	Priapulida (?)
Class:	†Archaeopriapulida
Genus:	†Lecythioscopa Conway Morris, 1977[1]
Species
L. simplex (Walcott, 1931) Conway Morris 1977
Synonyms
Canadia simplex Walcott 1931

Morphology

The specimens of Lectythioscopa are both missing their posterior portions, leaving a head, comparable to the proboscis of other priapulids, and long trunk, which is curved in both specimens. The animal was probably a burrower due to its external radial symmetry.^[1]

History

The species was originally placed as Canadia simplex by Charles Walcott in a 1931 publication based on a single specimen.^[2] Simon Conway Morris later identified what was previously considered a specimen of Canadia dubia as sharing similar features, placing them both under the name of Lecythioscopa simplex.^[3][1]