- Sidneyia
Taxobox
image_caption = A reconstruction of "Sidneyia"
image2_caption = Sidneyia (?)
fossil_range =Cambrian
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropod a
classis =Merostomoidea †
ordo =Limulavida
genus = "Sidneyia" Walcott 1911
species = "S. inexpectans"
binomial = "Sidneyia inexpectans"
binomial_authority = Walcott 1911"Sidneyia" is an extinct arthropod known from
fossil s found in theCambrian -ageBurgess Shale formation ofBritish Columbia .General description
"Sidneyia" ranged from 2 to 5 inches in length and is one of the largest arthropods found at the site. It is thought to have been a benthic carnivore that walked along the sea floor in search of hard-shelled prey. Gut contents have revealed that "Sidneyia" fed on hyolithids (molluscs) and other small
crustacean s andtrilobite s."Sidneyia" was discovered in 1910 during the first day of
Charles Walcott 's exploration of the Burgess Shale. He named it after his elder son, Sidney, who had helped to locate the site and collect the specimen. The species name, "Sidneyia inexpectans", means "Sidney's discovery".About 200 specimens have been documented.
Further reading
* D. L. Bruton (1981) "The arthropod "Sidneyia inexpectans", Middle Cambrian, Burgess Shale, British Columbia" "Phil. Trans. R. Soc." B 295, 619–653
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
