Halluicgenia Lobopodia Fossil

a bizzare worm with legs from Utah's Wheeler Formation

Hallucigenia sp

Walcott (1911) originally described Hallucigenia from the Burgess Shale as an Annelid worm.

Kingdom Animalia, Stem group Onychophora, Clade Hallucishaniids, Family Hallucigeniidae

Recent concensus is that Hallucigenia is a Lobopodian worm, possibly ancestral to modern velvet worms (Phylum Onychophora), and some sources even list as separate Phylum Lobopodia.

Geological Time: Upper Early Cambrian, (~525 million years ago)

Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Fossil is 9 mm (curve measure) on a 130 mm by 90 mm matrix.

Fossil Site: Wheeler Formation, Drum Mountains, Millard County, Utah

Fossil Code: HAL01

Price: Sold


Halluicgenia Lobopodia FossilDescription: This is a fine and nearly complete specimen of one of the most sought-after Burgess Shale type creatures: Hallucigenia. The genus is better known from the actual Burgess Shale of Canada, but a very few Hallucigeniaspecimens have also been found in Utah and the older Chengjiang Biota. This one is a most rare example of the lifeforms from the Cambrian Explosion of Utah. This one is only the second I have ever seen, and represents the posterior portion of the specimen, showing seven of the nine segments. Were it complete it would easily fetch twice the asking price here, and represents a rare opportunity to obtain such an unusual specimen at a bargain price. I have including an artist’s rending of a complete example in life restoration.

Walcott, C. 1911. Cambrian Geology and Paleontology II. Middle Cambrian annelids. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 57(5): 109-145.

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