A new euarthropod from the Cambrian Stage 4 Guanshan Biota of South China

Abstract

A new small euarthropod Astutuscaris bispinifer gen. et sp. nov. is described from the early Cambrian Stage 4 Guanshan Biota in Yunnan, China. This new euarthropod possesses a wide head shield, a pair of possible eyes, paired frontalmost appendages located antero-medially, 11 imbricated tergites most of which have backward-directed tergopleura ending in almost posteriorly oriented spines, and two well-marked wide spines. The affinity of Astutuscaris among euarthropods is uncertain because of the undefined nature of its frontalmost appendages, the incomplete head shield, the anterior trunk tergites, and the limbs. There are about 24 species of non-trilobite euarthropods reported from the Guanshan Biota to date, the documentation of this new taxon expands the biological diversity of euarthropods from this important biota in Yunnan, China.

Keywords

• arthropoda
• evolution
• cambrian
• guanshan biota