2.2" Cambrian Phyllocarid (Pseudoarctolepis) Fossil - Utah

Cambrian Phyllocarid (Pseudoarctolepis) Fossil - Utah #130370

This is a well preserved Phyllocarid (Pseudoarctolepis sharpi) from the Middle Cambrian, Wheeler Shale, Utah. Phyllocarids are uncommon finds in this formation, and finding one as intact as this specimen is rare. A rare feature to this 2.2" wide specimen is that it includes both of its "arms". These arms that project outward from its body are thought to have helped with balance.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

Phyllocarids are a type of arthropod that first developed during the Cambrian. They had a hard protective shell, hinged carapace, and were thought to have a lifestyle similar to shrimp. Exactly how they fit into the arthropod taxonomy is still under debate: they may represent either a stem-lineage euarthropod or a primitive branchiopod crustacean.