| Parvibellus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| Holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Superphylum: | Ecdysozoa |
| Clade: | Panarthropoda |
| Genus: | † Parvibellus |
| Species: | †P. atavus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Parvibellus atavus Liu et al. 2022 | |
Parvibellus is an extinct genus of panarthropod animal known from the Cambrian of China. It is known from only a single species, P. atavus, found in the Cambrian Stage 3 aged Chengjiang Biota of Yunnan, China.
Parvibellus is small panarthropod with length of around 5 mm (0.20 in). The head bore a pair of small frontal appendages and ventrally directed circular mouth. There is no evidence that Parvibellus had eyes. The elongated trunk possesses 11 pairs of lateral appendages and a pair of terminal projections. [1]
In the original description, The trunk appendages were interpreted as swimming flaps, which suggest a nektonic life style and close relationship with stem-group arthropods such as the "gilled lobopodians" Kerygmachela and Pambdelurion , opabiniids and radiodonts. [1] However, recent research suggests it may instead be a larval siberiid, a group of benthic lobopodian nest within arthropod stem-group, and the trunk appendages were re-interpreted as stout lobopods. Since it may represent the larva of any described siberiids from the same strata (e.g. Megadictyon , Jianshanopodia ) and cannot be accurately identified, Parvibellus is considered to be a nomen dubium . [2]