Thylacocephala
Sign in to saveThylacocephala (from the Greek or ', meaning "pouch", and or ' meaning "head") is an extinct group of mandibulate arthropods, that are generally regarded as a kind of crustacean, though their exact position within this group is uncertain. As a class they have a short research history, having been erected in the early 1980s.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Research history
- Taxonomy
- Genera
- Anatomy
- Affinities
- Disagreements
- Mode of life
- References
Thylacocephala (from the Greek or ', meaning "pouch", and or ' meaning "head") is an extinct group of mandibulate arthropods, that are generally regarded as a kind of crustacean, though their exact position within this group is uncertain. As a class they have a short research history, having been erected in the early 1980s.
They typically possess a large, laterally flattened carapace that encompasses the entire body. The compound eyes tend to be large and bulbous, and occupy a frontal notch on the carapace. They possess three pairs of large raptorial limbs, and the abdomen bears a battery of small swimming limbs. Their size ranges from ~15 mm to potentially up to 250 mm.