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Gaoloufangchaeta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gaoloufangchaeta bifurcus
Temporal range: Stage 4
Holotype specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Subclass: Errantia
Genus: Gaoloufangchaeta
Zhao, Li & Selden, 2023
Species:
G. bifurcus
Binomial name
Gaoloufangchaeta bifurcus
Zhao, Li & Selden, 2023

Gaoloufangchaeta is an extinct genus of polychaete worms from the Cambrian (Stage 4) Wulongqing Formation of China.[1] The type species is G. bifurcus. It may be a member of the Errantia annelids, implying members of the Annelida may have diverged from each other before the Cambrian. This dovetails with molecular studies recovering an Ediacaran origin of annelids.[2]

Gaoloufangchaeta had bicellular eyes and possible nuchal organs, meaning it developed strong sensory abilities.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Zhao, Jun; Li, Yujing; Selden, Paul A. (2023-04-26). "A new primitive polychaete with eyes from the lower Cambrian Guanshan biota of Yunnan Province, China". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 11. doi:10.3389/fevo.2023.1128070. ISSN 2296-701X.
  2. ^ Yang, Xiaoyu; Aguado, M. Teresa; Helm, Conrad; Zhang, Zhiqian; Bleidorn, Christoph (2024-04-10). "New fossil of Gaoloufangchaeta advances the origin of Errantia (Annelida) to the early Cambrian". Royal Society Open Science. 11 (4). doi:10.1098/rsos.231580. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 11004674.