Arthropod visual predators in the early pelagic ecosystem: evidence from the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang biotas.

ABSTRACT: Exceptional fossil specimens with preserved soft parts from the Maotianshan Shale (ca 520 Myr ago) and the Burgess Shale (505 Myr ago) biotas indicate that the worldwide distributed bivalved arthropod Isoxys was probably a non-benthic visual predator. New lines of evidence come from the functional morphology of its powerful prehensile frontal appendages that, combined with large spherical eyes, are thought to have played a key role in the recognition and capture of swimming or epibenthic prey. The swimming and steering of this arthropod was achieved by the beating of multiple setose exopods and a flap-like telson. The appendage morphology of Isoxys indicates possible phylogenetical relationships with the megacheirans, a widespread group of assumed predator arthropods characterized by a pre

SUBMITTER: Vannier J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2686666 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature