Temporal range: Upper Early Cambrian–Ludfordian[1][2]
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The Burgess Shale palaeoscolecid Scathascolex minor. Image from Smith (2015)[5][6]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Clade:
Cycloneuralia
Class:
†Palaeoscolecida Conway Morris & Robinson, 1986
Families, genera and species (sensu Harvey et al. 2010[3])[4]
See text
The palaeoscolecids are a group of extinct ecdysozoan worms resembling armoured priapulids. They are known from the Lower Cambrian[7] to the lower Ludfordian (late Silurian);[8][2] they are mainly found as disarticulated sclerites, but are also preserved in many of the Cambrian lagerstätten.[9] They take their name from the typifying genus Palaeoscolex.[8]
Other genera include Cricocosmia from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang biota.[10] Their taxonomic affinities within Ecdysozoa have been the subject of debate.
^Wills, M. A. (1 April 1998). "Cambrian and Recent Disparity: the Picture from Priapulids". Paleobiology. 24 (2): 155–286. doi:10.1666/0094-8373(1998)024[0177:CARDTP]2.3.CO;2. JSTOR 2401237. S2CID 88647544.
^ abHoward, Richard J.; Parry, Luke A.; Clatworthy, Innes; D'Souza, Leila; Edgecombe, Gregory D. (May 2024). "Palaeoscolecids from the Ludlow Series of Leintwardine, Herefordshire (UK): the latest occurrence of palaeoscolecids in the fossil record". Papers in Palaeontology. 10 (3). doi:10.1002/spp2.1558. ISSN 2056-2799.
^Cite error: The named reference Harvey2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Ma, X.; Aldridge, R. J.; Siveter, D. J.; Siveter, D. J.; Hou, X.; Edgecombe, G. D. (March 2014). "A New Exceptionally Preserved Cambrian Priapulid from the Chengjiang Lagerstätte". Journal of Paleontology. 88 (2): 371–384. Bibcode:2014JPal...88..371M. doi:10.1666/13-082. S2CID 85627132.
^Smith, Martin R. (2015). "A palaeoscolecid worm from the Burgess Shale". Palaeontology. 58 (6): 973–979. Bibcode:2015Palgy..58..973S. doi:10.1111/pala.12210. S2CID 86747103.
^Smith, Martin R. (2015). "Lagerstatten". Data from: A palaeoscolecid worm from the Burgess Shale. Dryad Digital Repository. Dryad. doi:10.5061/dryad.cf493. hdl:10255/dryad.92916.
^Andrey Y. Ivantsov & Ryszard Wrona (2004). "Articulated palaeoscolecid sclerite arrays from the Lower Cambrian of eastern Siberia" (PDF). Acta Geologica Polonica. 54 (1): 1–22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
^ abXianguang Hou; Richard Aldridge; Jan Bergström; David Siveter; Derek Siveter (2004). The Cambrian fossils of Chengjiang, China: the flowering of early animal life. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-4051-0673-3.
^Zhu, M.; Babcock, L.; Steiner, M. (2 May 2005). "Fossilization modes in the Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Cambrian of China): testing the roles of organic preservation and diagenetic alteration in exceptional preservation". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 220 (1–2): 31–37. Bibcode:2005PPP...220...31Z. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2003.03.001.
^Jian Han; Jianni Liu; Zhifei Zhang; Xinglian Zhang; Degan Shu (2007). "Trunk ornament on the palaeoscolecid worms Cricocosmia and Tabelliscolex from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang deposits of China" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 52 (2): 423–431.
The palaeoscolecids are a group of extinct ecdysozoan worms resembling armoured priapulids. They are known from the Lower Cambrian to the lower Ludfordian...
Cricocosmia is a genus of palaeoscolecid worm from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota. Fossils of prehistoric Cricocosmia species were found in the Cambrian...
(2012). "New palaeoscolecid worms from the Furongian (upper Cambrian) of Hunan, South China: Is Markuelia an embryonic palaeoscolecid?". Palaeontology...
Priapulids), the Nematoida (nematodes, Nematomorphs), and the extinct Palaeoscolecid. It may be paraphyletic, or may be a sister group to Panarthropoda....
Arrakiscolex is a genus of Cambrian palaeoscolecid, the first known from the Marjum Formation in Utah; some specimens from the Weeks Formation could be...
More than 50 species of trilobites, non-biomineralized arthropods, palaeoscolecids, a lobopodian, a polychaete, vetulicolians, nectocaridids, hyoliths...
Scathascolex is a genus of palaeoscolecid worm known from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. It is the only taxon in that famous locality to exhibit the...
contain isolated plates that have since been identified as components of palaeoscolecid worms. They are adorned with regularly arranged humps that recall the...
certain fossils of the Ediacara biota; the machaeridians; and certain palaeoscolecid worms. It can also be seen in many extant groups of sea pens. In Conway's...
A basal mollusc Xystoscolex X. boreogyrus A palaeoscolecid worm Chalazoscolex C. pharkus A palaeoscolecid worm Timorebestia T. koprii A giant stem-group...
where they comprise < 0.1% of the community. It has been stated to have palaeoscolecid-like sclerites, though this is not in fact the case. It's also been...
possible relation to an adult kinorhynch or to the larval stage of a palaeoscolecid worm. It has been described as the first occurrence of a free living...
arthropod body plan. Aysheaia's surface ornamentation, if homologous with palaeoscolecid sclerites, may represent a deeper link connecting it with cycloneuralian...
Tabelliscolex is a genus of palaeoscolecid worm from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota that comprises two species, T. hexagonus and T. maanshanensis...
Shaanxiscolex is an extinct genus of palaeoscolecid worm from the Cambrian Stage 4. The type species is Shaanxiscolex xixiangensis and was named in 2018...
G. D. (2024). "Palaeoscolecids from the Ludlow Series of Leintwardine, Herefordshire (UK): the latest occurrence of palaeoscolecids in the fossil record"...
Sirius Passet. It had around 140 segments, each adorned with two rows of palaeoscolecid plates. Its body was organised into three transverse sections, the medial...
Haug, C. (2014). "A new cycloneuralian from the Burgess Shale with a palaeoscolecid-type terminal end". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie -...
been a sponge. Scathascolex Animalia Palaeoscolecida A priapulid-like palaeoscolecid worm Priscansermarinus Animalia non-applicable Arthropoda? This enigmatic...
García-Bellido, D.C.; Paterson, J.R.; Edgecombe, G.D. (2013). "Cambrian palaeoscolecids (Cycloneuralia) from Gondwana and reappraisal of species assigned to...
of Tamga could possibly be sclerites, for example, as sclerites of palaeoscolecids show a similar shape, a disk with a ring or rows of tubercles in the...
Based on its timing, it's possible that this event finished off the palaeoscolecids. Although life persisted after the event, community structures were...
Palaeoscolex is the type genus of the Palaeoscolecid worms, and served as a wastebasket taxon. until its taxonomy was revised and many of its taxa assigned...
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