Marella splendens
Phylum Arthropoda, Order Marrellomorpha
Geologic Time: Early Cambrian (~520 million years ago)
Size: 10 mm long by 12 mm wide on a 26 mm by 40 mm matrix
Fossil Site: Burgess Shale, Stephen Formation, Burgess Pass, British Columbia, Canada
 Marella
splendens was discovered by Charles Doolittle Walcott and given the
informal field name “lace crab”. The strange head shield
possesses twp pair of large curving spines. An anterior pair project
out to the sides, and a posterior
pair extends toward the rear the entire length of the body. The numerous
body segments possess identical biramous appendages with feathery
filaments that were used in respiration. Marella ostensibly was a
benthic animal that made a living by swimming just above the seafloor.
This wonderful example shows all the major features of the taxon
in
incredible detail. It is an exemplar for the famous Burgess Shale
Fauna, and the Cambrian Explosion fossils. |
