Hallucigenia
sp. aff. sparsa
Phylum
Onychophora, Family Hallucigeniidae (Conway Morris, 1977)
Geological
Time: Upper Middle Cambrian
Size: 13
mm long
Fossil
Site: Wheeler Shale Formation, Millard County, Utahi
|  This
is a fine partial specimen of one of the most sought-after Burgess
Shale type creatures: Hallucigenia. The genus is better known from
the actual Burgess Shale of Canada, but a very few specimens have
also been found in Utah and the older Chengjiang Biota. This one
consists of the posterior most portion of the animal, with several
of spines (a complete one has 7 pairs) and the hint of the gut tract.
Were it complete, it would be priced several times as much. Nevertheless,
it is the second such specimen I have seen in the last 7 years,
and a most rare example of the life forms from the Cambrian Explosion
of Utah. It is seen here with several examples of the trilobite
Elrathia kingii.
Also
See: Utah Cambrian Explosion
Fossils
References
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