- Common name
- Tilacocephalus
- Scientific name
- Ostenocaris cypriformis
- Type
- Fossil
Description
New class of crustaceans established only in the 1980s as a result of the Osteno find and then later elsewhere in the world (from fossil specimens only). These were unusual-looking animals: they were provided with a stout, trapezoidal-shaped shell (carapace) from which a rostrum protruded. Three pairs of appendages were inserted into the lower part of the body, which are not always preserved in the Osteno fossil record. Scholars believe that thylakocephalians were particularly slow organisms, perhaps scavengers of muddy bottoms. It should be pointed out that even today there is still no clear and comprehensive explanation of the anatomical features of these animals, especially the enigmatic cephalic sac protruding at the back.
Scientific Classification
- Domain
- Eukaryota
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Artrhopoda
- Class
- Thylacocephala
- Order
- Cyclida
- Family
- Ostenocaridae
- Genus
- Ostenocaris
- Species
- cypriformis (Arduini, Pinna, Teruzzi, 1980)
- Scientific name
- Ostenocaris cypriformis
Preserved specimen
The specimen in question is devoid of appendages. The carapace is well preserved.
Cataloging
- SIRBeC
- 7s060-00186
