|  Description:
The discovery of the Chengjiang Biota by Hou Xian-guang in 1984
resulted in a clear window on what is known as the Cambrian Explosion.
The diversity of soft-tissue fossils is astonishing: algae, medusiforms,
sponges, priapulids, annelid-like worms, echinoderms, arthropods
(including trilobites), hemichordates, chordates, and the first
agnathan fish make up just a small fraction of the total. Numerous
problematic forms are known as well, some of which may have represented
failed attempts at diversity that did not persist to the present
day.
The
Lobopodians are small marine and terrestrial animals termed colloquially
“velvet worms” or “worms with legs”. While
all Recent forms are terrestrial, most fossil Lobopodians are marine,
and are known primarily from the Cambrian. Six named  genera,
each with a single species, are known from the Chengjiang Biota,
making it the richest source of fossils of the type on Earth. This
is one of the most striking, and quite rare; as of 2004, only some
15 examples were known. The maximum length is 70 mm. It possesses
a sclerotized head shield with 10 paired sclerotic plates, each
associated with a pair of legs. Each leg bears curved claws which
are thought to have served the creature as an adaptation to crawling
on other organisms. It is most closely related to Aysheaia from
the younger Burgess Shale. This one is very detailed, with most
of the legs and sclerotized plates preserved.
Also
see: Chengjiang
Biota Fauna Chengjiang
Fossils
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