''Phytophilaspis'' is a phosphatized genus of

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the At ...

-like

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 Arth ...

with eyes, found in association with algal remains. It dwelt in well-lit, shallow waters.

Description

''Phytophilaspis'' has several features in common with trilobites, including: tripartite division of the dorsal shield; presence of prominent

pygidium The pygidium (plural pygidia) is the posterior body part or shield of crustaceans and some other arthropods, such as insects and the extinct trilobites. In groups other than insects, it contains the anus and, in females, the ovipositor. It is compo ...

; large eyes, situated on the pleural area of the

cephalon Cephalon, Inc. was an American biopharmaceutical company co-founded in 1987 by pharmacologist Frank Baldino, Jr., neuroscientist Michael Lewis, and organic chemist James C. Kauer—all three former scientists with the DuPont Company. Baldino s ...

;

facial sutures Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the A ...

, and shape of the

hypostome In zoology, the hypostome can refer to structures in distinct animal groups: *Hypostome (trilobite), the ventral mouthpart plate in trilobites *Hypostome (tick) The hypostome (also called the maxilla, radula, or labium) is a calcified harpoo ...

. However, it differs from trilobites in many ways, including a reduced thorax, thoracic pleura fused to each other and to the cephalon and pygidium, facial sutures not crossing the eyes, and weak original mineralization of the cuticle. Because of these differences, ''Phytophilaspis'' was originally assigned to the

Artiopoda The Artiopoda is a grouping of extinct arthropods that includes trilobites and their close relatives. It was erected by Hou and Bergström in 1997 to encompass a wide diversity of arthropods that would traditionally have been assigned to the Trilo ...

n subclass Concilliterga, in an undetermined

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

and

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

. It was later considered by Bergström and Hou as a xandarellid, along with ''

Cindarella ''Cindarella'' is genus of trilobite-like Cambrian arthropod known from the Chengjiang biota of China. It is classified in the stem group of trilobites (Artiopoda) in the clade Xandarellida, along with ''Phytophilaspis'', ''Sinoburius'', and ...

'', ''

Xandarella ''Xandarella'' is an extinct genus of xandarellid artiopodan known from the Cambrian of China and Morocco, the type species ''Xandarella spectaculum'' was described in 1991 from the Cambrian Stage 3 aged Chengjiang Biota in China. An addition ...

'' and ''

Sinoburius ''Sinoburius'' is an extinct genus of xandarellid artiopodan known from the Cambrian aged Chengjiang Biota The Maotianshan Shales are a series of Early Cambrian deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation, famous for their '' Konservat Lagerstätt ...

''. A position that was supported in subsequent studies.

References

External links

''Phytophilaspis'' occurrence data. Paleobiology DatabasePhotograph
Cambrian trilobites Fossil taxa described in 1999 Fossils of Russia Artiopoda {{paleo-arthropod-stub

Description

See also

References

External links