Leanchoilia Explained

Leanchoilia is a megacheiran arthropod known from Cambrian deposits of the Burgess Shale in Canada and the Chengjiang biota of China.^[1]

Description

L. superlata was about long and had long, whip-like flagellae extending from its great appendages. Its internal organs are occasionally preserved within the substrate in three dimensions.^{[2] [3]} Their two pairs of eyes are protected and covered by their exterior head shields, with two eyes being located on each side.^{[4] [5]}

Species

Seven species are tentatively accepted today: L. superlata (the type species), L. persephone and L. protogonia from the Burgess Shale, L. illecebrosa and L. obesa from the Chengjiang biota, 'L. robisoni from Kaili, and L.? hanceyi from the Spence Shale. L. superlata and L. persephone may however be examples of sexual dimorphism.^{[6] [7] [8]}

Distribution

55 specimens of Leanchoilia are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they comprise 0.1% of the community.^[9]

See also

• Paleobiota of the Burgess Shale
• List of Chengjiang Biota species by phylum

External links

• Web site: 2011. Leanchoilia superlata. Burgess Shale Fossil Gallery. Virtual Museum of Canada. https://web.archive.org/20201112025257/http://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/en/fossil-gallery/view-species.php?id=71. 2020-11-12. dead.
  • • Leanchoilia illecebrosa Ancient Arthropod from Chengjiang The Virtual Fossil Museum

Notes and References

1. Web site: Burgess Shale: Leanchoilia superlata (an arthropod) . Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. 6 July 2017.
2. Nicholas J. Butterfield . 2002 . Leanchoilia guts and the interpretation of three-dimensional structures in Burgess Shale-type fossils . . 28 . 1 . 155–171 . 10.1666/0094-8373(2002)028<0155:LGATIO>2.0.CO;2 . 85606166 .
3. Brigitte Schoenemann & Euan N. K. Clarkson . 2012 . The eyes of Leanchoilia . . 45 . 4 . 524–531 . 10.1111/j.1502-3931.2012.00313.x.
4. Schoenemann, B., & Clarkson, E. N. K. (2012). The eyes of Leanchoilia. Lethaia, 45(4),524–531.
5. García-Bellido, D. C., & Collins, D. (2007). Reassessment of the Genus Leanchoilia(Arthropoda, Arachnomorpha) from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale, BritishColumbia, Canada. Palaeontology, 50(3), 693–709.
6. Diego C. García-Bellido & Desmond Collins . 2007 . Reassessment of the genus Leanchoilia (Arthropoda, Arachnomorpha) from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale, British Columbia, Canada . . 50 . 3 . 693–709 . 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00649.x. 2007Palgy..50..693G . free .
7. Liu. Yu. Hou. Xian-Guang. Bergström. J.. 2007. Chengjiang arthropod Leanchoilia illecebrosa (Hou, 1987) reconsidered. GFF. 129. 3. 263–272. 10.1080/11035890701293263. 84150456 .
8. Yu-Yang. He. Pei-Yun. Cong. Yu. Liu. Gregory D.. Edgecombe. Xian-Guang. Hou. 2017. Telson morphology of Leanchoiliidae (Arthropoda: Megacheira) highlighted by a new Leanchoilia from the Cambrian Chengjiang biota. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 41. 4. 581–589. 10.1080/03115518.2017.1320425. 90593555 .
9. Caron . Jean-Bernard. Jackson . Donald A.. Taphonomy of the Greater Phyllopod Bed community, Burgess Shale. PALAIOS . 21 . 5 . 451–65. October 2006. 10.2110/palo.2003.P05-070R. 20173022. 2006Palai..21..451C . 53646959 .