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Scolecofurca
Extinct genus of priapulid worms From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Scolecofurca is a genus of stem-group priapulid worm[2] dating from the Middle Cambrian period approximately 505 million years ago.
It is known from a single fossil specimen from the Raymond Quarry in the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies.[1]
The only known species in the species Scolecofurca rara was first described by Conway Morris in 1977 as a possible primitive priapulid, but later shown to belong to the priapulid stem group.[3] Its name is derived from the Greek skolex (worm) and the Latin furca (fork) and rara (infrequent).[1]
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Morphology
Scolecofura's single fossil specimen is 6.5 centimeters in length. The fossil displays a proboscis of constant width, with two 3 millimeter tentacles at the anterior. The tentacles most likely would have functioned for sensory purposes rather than for feeding. The trunk of the organism is lined with annulations separated by 7 millimeters. The specimen is incomplete, and the posterior features of the animal are currently unknown.[1]
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References
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