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Definition
acanthotretella spinosa
unique from other Cambrian brachiopods due to the presence of spines. |
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acrothyra gregaria
a tiny brachiopod with smooth valves |
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Actaeus armatus
a plumb "great appendage" arthropod known from a single specimen |
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Alalcomenaeus cambricus
a small and lithe "great appendage" arthropd |
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Amiskwia sagittiformis
a worm-like, swimming animal with paired antennae
Walcott Quarry
Etymology:
Amiskwia – from the Cree amiskwi, “beavertail,” a name given to various topographical features in Yoho National Park.
sagittiformis – from the Latin sagitta, “arrow,” and formis, “shape,” in reference to the general outline of the animal. |
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Definition
Amplectobelua stephenensis
A radiodontan with a pincer-like frontal appendage
Amplectobelua is a member of Radiodonta, the group of arthropods which also includes the more famous Anomalocaris
Link to better preserved fossils in China
Amplectobelua Chengjiang deposits (1994)
Tulip beds Mount Stephen (2010)
Etymology:
Amplectobelua – from the Latin amplectus, “embrace,” and belua, “monster.” |
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Definition
Ancalagon minor
A priapulid worm bearing the name of a Tolkien dragon
Walcott (d. 1911, n.1977)
The tubular body-shape is well adapted for burrowing; Ancalagon probably used its spines to pull itself through the mud. The strong hooks at the front of the proboscis suggest a carnivorous feeding habit. |
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Definition
Anomalocaris canadensis
The largest Burgess Shale predator, first described in 1892
most iconic member of Radiodonta
Etymology:
Anomalocaris – from the Greek anomoios, “unlike,” and the Latin caris, “crab” or “shrimp,” thus, “unlike other shrimp.”
front appendages, mouth parts, and body were originally all described as distinct species. |
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Definition
Aysheaia pedunculata
A worm-like precursor of arthropods
Lobopodian. only modern survivors are onychophorans (velvet worms) and tardigrades (water bears).
Walcott quarry
Etymology:
Genus – after the nearby Aysha peak (since renamed Ayesha peak) in the Wapta icefield (3,065 m); original meaning unknown.
species – from the Latin pedunculus, “foot.” |
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Definition
Balhuticaris voltae
A large bivalved arthropod with an arch-like carapace.
Balhuticaris has been found from both the Marble Canyon and the Tokumm Creek localities of the Burgess Shale during several expeditions between 2012 to 2022. |
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Banffia constricta
An enigmatic animal with a rotated body
Banffia is regarded to be an end member of a larger group called the vetulicolids, in its own class, the Banffozoa
Walcott - The Raymond and Collins Quarries on Fossil Ridge. |
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Definition
Bathyuriscus rotundatus
A very common Mount Stephen trilobite
Etymology
Greek bathys, “deep,” and the Greek oura, “tail,” thus, a trilobite with a deep tail.
rotundatus – from the Latin rotundus, “round,” presumably alluding to the rounded outline of the dorsal shield.
signature fossil for the Middle Cambrian Bathyuriscus-Elrathina Zone in the southern Canadian Rockies. |
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Definition
Bosworthia simulans
A presumed red alga composed of thick branches
The Walcott Quarry on Fossil Ridge.
Bosworthia was described by Charles Walcott (1919) as a possible red alga. However, like all the algae from the Burgess Shale, it awaits a modern redescription.
The mode of life of this alga is uncertain. Its structure suggests it was attached to the sea floor within the photic zone, rather than being free floating. |
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Definition
Branchiocaris pretiosa
A stout bivalved arthropod with pincers. Nektobenthic
Etymology:
Branchiocaris – from the Greek branchion, “gill,” and the Latin caris, “crab” or “shrimp,” thus, gilled shrimp.
pretiosa – from the Latin pretiosus, “precious” or “attractive.”
The Walcott and Raymond Quarries on Fossil Ridge. The Tulip Beds (S7) and Collins Quarry on Mount Stephen. |
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Definition
Burgessia bella
A primitive arthropod with a kidney-shaped stomach
Although common, Burgessia has not been re-examined since the 1970s, and its phylogenetic placement is uncertain. It has been described as a basal member of the arachnomorphs, a group that includes chelicerates and trilobites
Walcott |
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Definition
Burgessochaeta setigera
A burrowing bristleworm with a pair of long tentacles
Burgessochaeta bears some resemblance to modern polychaetes but it cannot be placed in any extant group
Etymology:
Burgessochaeta – from Mount Burgess. Latin chaeta, “bristle”, a common suffix for polychaete worms, reflecting spiny structures along their body.
setigera – from the Latin saetula, “small bristle.”
Walcott |
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Definition
Burlingia hectori
An unusual, rare and tiny trilobite
Found originally at a single locality just north of the Trilobite Beds on Mount Stephen, the species has since been identified from the Middle Cambrian of Öland, Sweden (ex-Burlingia laevis
burlingiids have consistently proven difficult to fit into any current trilobite phylogeny. |
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Definition
Byronia annulata
A jellyfish polyp named after a Canadian banker
Etymology:
Byronia – for Byron Edmund Walker (1848-1924), Canadian banker, amateur palaeontologist, and co-founder of the Royal Ontario Museum.
annulata – from the Latin annulatus, “ring-like,” in reference to distinct annular (transverse) ridges.
Walcott, Stephen
Life habits: Epibenthic, Sessile
Feeding strategies: Carnivorous, Suspension feeder |
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Definition
Cambroraster falcatus
A sediment sifter with a spaceship-shaped carapace
Etymology:
Cambroraster – Cambro, for Cambrian; raster, for the rake-like morphology of the inner spines on the frontal appendages.
falcatus – meaning sickle-shaped, resemblance to the Millennium Falcon
Marble Canyon and Mount Whymper / Tokumm Creek
Like other hurdiids, Cambroraster shows adaptations to sweep feeding. |
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Term
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Definition
Cambrorhytium major
A solitary, cone-shaped organism
Etymology:
rhytium, “drinking horn.”
Stephen and Walcott
The organism appears to have reproduced sexually rather than by budding.
no indication of any anchoring structure
suspension feeder or a carnivore on the basis of its probable tentacles and presumed cnidarian affinity. |
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Definition
Canadaspis perfecta
A common bivalved arthropod with thick legs
Hymenocarines were early arthropods with bivalved carapaces and mandibles, forming the bulk of the first mandibulates (represented today by myriapods, crustaceans and insects)
Walcott
Nektobenthic. Deposit feeder, Scavenger, Suspension feeder |
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