Halluicgenia Lobopodian Fossil

a bizzare worm with legs from Utah's Marjum Formation

Hallucigenia sp

Walcott (1911), who originally described it from the Burgess Shale as an Annelid worm

Kingdom Animalia, Stem group Onychophora, Clade Hallucishaniids, Family Hallucigeniidae

Recent concensus is that Hallucigenia is a Lobopodian worm, possibly ancestral to modern velvet worms (Phylum Onychophora), and some sources even list as separate Phylum Lobopodia

Geological Time: Upper Early Cambrian, (~525 million years ago)

Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Fossil is 9 mm long (curve measure) on a 130 mm by 90 mm matrix

Fossil Site: Marjum Formation, Drum Mountains, Millard County, Utah

Fossil Code: STF01

Price: Sold


Halluicgenia Lobopodian FossilDescription: This is a fine essentially complete 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 is a most rare example of the lifeforms from the Cambrian Explosion of Utah. I have included a high-contrast polarized light photo to show the detail of the spikes and limbs in all their glory. This is beyond a doubt the finest example of this enigmatic taxon I have ever come across, destined to become the cornerstone of any Cambrian Explosion collection. Hallucigenia from the Burgess shale are rare, comprising less than 1 in 50 fossils. All soft-bodied animals from the Marjum Formation are rare.

Walcott, C. 1911. Cambrian Geology and Paleontology II. Middle Cambrian annelids. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 57(5): 109-145.

Fossils Sales Information

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Halluicgenia Lobopodian
Hallucigenia Scientific Illustration

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