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Sarotrocercus
''Sarotrocercus'' is a small Cambrian arthropod known from Burgess shale, reaching a centimetre or two in length (). ''Sarotrocercus'' is only known from 7 specimens. It may lie in the arthropod crown group, and a recent study has revised some points of its original description. Morphology ''Sarotrocercus'' had a head shield followed by a trunk of 10 or 11 segments and a telson featuring a series of spines on the end. A pair of big eyes at the end of stalks ventrally emerged from the front of the head. The head bore two pairs of sturdy appendages that are armed with rows of inner spines. At least the anterior 9 trunk segments each possess a pair of appendages, which are only known by lobe-like exopods that are fringed with setae. Ecology In the original description, ''Sarotrocercus'' had been interpreted as a pelagic, nektonic animal that swam freely on its back, moving perhaps through movements of the trunk appendages and the action of its long tail tuft. This was mainly ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthropod
Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arthropod cuticle, cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate. The arthropod body plan consists of segments, each with a pair of appendages. Arthropods are bilaterally symmetrical and their body possesses an exoskeleton, external skeleton. In order to keep growing, they must go through stages of moulting, a process by which they shed their exoskeleton to reveal a new one. Some species have wings. They are an extremely diverse group, with up to 10 million species. The haemocoel, an arthropod's internal cavity, through which its haemolymph – analogue of blood – circulates, accommodates its interior Organ (anatomy), organs; it has an open circulatory system. Like their exteriors, the internal or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
