Early Cambrian fuxianhuiids from China reveal origin of the gnathobasic protopodite in euarthropods

Abstract

The fuxianhuiids were a group of primitive true arthropods living in the Cambrian period. Here, Yang and colleagues describe a new species of fuxianhuiid, Alacaris mirabilis, from exceptionally-preserved specimens that illustrate the early evolution of specialized arthropod mouthparts.