| Jianshanopodia Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reconstruction of Jianshanopodia decora | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | †"Lobopodia" |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | †Jianshanopodia Liu et al., 2006 |
| Species: | †J. decora |
| Binomial name | |
| †Jianshanopodia decora Liu et al., 2006 | |
Jianshanopodia is a monotypic genus of Cambrian lobopodian, discovered in the Maotianshan Shales of Yunnan, China. [2]
Jianshanopodia resembled the closely related siberiid Megadictyon . The head possessed a pair of grasping frontal appendages which bore wedge-shaped plates [3] . The pharynx was surrounded by rows of denticles, resembling those of radiodonts and priapulids. [4] [5] The trunk was annulated, with a pair of stout legs (lobopods) on each body segment. Due to the lack of a complete specimen, the exact number of body segments and leg pairs is uncertain. If it had 12 body segments, the living animal might have grown over 20 cm. [2] Each leg was lined with rows of tubercles and tree-like branches, [2] instead of being tipped with claws as in many other lobopodians. [3] The trunk terminated with a large median lobe and a pair of small lateral lobes, forming a fan-like structure. [2] Inside the trunk was a sediment-filled gut surrounded by serially repeated diverticulae. [3] [2]
It has been suggested that Jianshanopodia mainly crawled on the sea floor, but could swim with its fan-like tail when necessary. [2] [3] The leg branches might have functioned as external gills. [2] It is thought to be predatory and have sucked up prey with its short 'trunk', [3] consuming food items with its robust mouthparts and gut diverticulae. [6]
Phylogenetic position of Jianshanopodia according to Pates et al. (2022). [7]
 | This article related to a Cambrian animal is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |