| Thaumactena Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3, ~ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Thaumactena ensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Ctenophora |
| Class: | † Scleroctenophora |
| Genus: | † Thaumactena Ou et al., 2015 [1] |
| Species: | †T. ensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Thaumactena ensis Ou et al., 2015 [1] | |
Thaumactena is an extinct monotypic genus of scleroctenophoran (a type of stem-group ctenophore [2] [3] [4] ) that lived during Cambrian Stage 3, around 520 Ma. [1] The type and only species is Thaumactena ensis. [1]
Two specimens are known, the holotype (ELEL-SJ081427A, an adult), and the paratype (ELEL-SJ081563, a juvenile), both having a length-width ratio of 10:1. [1] The oral region expands outward, forming an "oral skirt." [1] Thaumactena is distinguished from other scleroctenophorans by the possession of a streamlined body, similar to chaetognaths (arrow worms), suggesting that, in life, it was an agile swimmer. [1]
Thaumactena is placed in the Scleroctenophora, as it and other members of the class possess an internal skeleton. [1]