Sanctacaris

Taxobox

---

fossil_range = Middle Cambrian
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
genus = "Sanctacaris"

"Sanctacaris" is a Middle Cambrian arthropod from the Burgess shale of British Columbia. Specimens range from 46 to 93 mm in length. "Sanctacaris" was most famously regarded as primitive chelicerate arthropod, although subsequent studies of phylogeny have not always supported this conclusion. (The chelicerates include spiders, scorpions, etc.)

The head of "Sanctacaris" bears five pairs of grasping appendages and a sixth pair of large separate appendages. The grasping appendages each bear a short antenna-like second appendage. There are 11 body segments each with a pair of walking legs and gills. There is a broad, flat paddle-like telson.

Originally "Sanctacaris" was called informally 'Santa Claws'. Its latin name translates as "Saintly crab".fotbs Unlike most other Burgess forms, "Sanctacaris" is not present in Walcott's 1909 quarry and was discovered at a different level by Desmond Collins in 1980-1981.fotbs

References