Cambrian Explosion Pseudoarctolepis Phyllocarid Fossil

Description: This unusual Phyllocarid arthropod is known as Pseudoarctolepis sharpi. Phyllocarids are one of the lesser known branchiopod crustaceans from the Cambrian where they are among the earliest animals with a hard shell. They have a fairly large carapace, which protects the anterior part of the body. This structure hinged along the dorsal edge like a bivalve. Usually only the carapace is found. This one shows the posterior process clearly. Photography is about as difficult as the nearly contemporary Burgess Shale as only a film is preserved. This one also has a negative Elrathia present

Brooks, H.K., and Caster, Kenneth E. 1956. Pseudoarctolepis sharpi, N. gen., N. sp (Phyllocarida), from the Wheeler Shale of Utah. Journal of Paleontology, Vol. 30, No. 1 pp. 9-14.