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Musacaris

Extinct Cambrian arthropod From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Musacaris is an extinct genus of Cambrian arthropod from the Orsten Lagerstätte, formerly synonymous with Martinssonia. It contains only a single species, Musacaris gerdgeyeri.

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Description

Musacaris is a small (roughly 0.8 mm long), unsegmented arthropod, with four pairs of appendages. It has a pair of antennae, and three pairs of biramous appendages.[1] It also has an unusual projection on its head, possibly the future position of the mouth. The unsegmented body suggests all current specimens of Musacaris may be so-called "head larvae". The five developmental stages are quite similar, with the same amount and positioning of the limbs. Currently, Musacaris is thought to be a basal mandibulate or stem-crustacean, possibly sister to labrophorans (Crustacea and Phosphatocopina).

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Distribution

Musacaris is known from thirteen specimens of different larval forms, all from the Orsten Lagerstätte in Sweden,[1] alongside twenty-one other specimens referred to Martinssonia elongata.[2]

References

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