Bowengriphus Temporal range: | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | incertae sedis |
Genus: | † Bowengriphus Ritchie & Edgecome, 2001 [1] |
Species: | †B. perphlegis |
Binomial name | |
†Bowengriphus perphlegis Ritchie & Edgecome, 2001 [1] |
Bowengriphus is a freshwater organism known from Late Permian deposits in Rangal Coal Measures of eastern central Queensland, Australia
It was originally interpreted as a relative of Odontogriphus , but a re-analysis of this fossil discounted any relationship, placing the fossil as incertae sedis . [2]
It is a small (≈15 cm), elongate, soft-bodied bilaterian as the body is bilaterally symmetrical, with a rounded anterior region and a tapering posterior. Its most distinctive feature is a double-looped feeding apparatus with paired rows of conical elements, integrated into the anterior region. No segmentation, limbs, or mineralized skeleton are present. The fossil shows a single, continuous body plan without evidence of separate appendages or external armor.