Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A Cambrian gilled lobopod from Greenland

Nature volume 364, pages 709–711 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

THE discovery of several 'Burgess Shale'-like faunas in the Cambrian has added significant new data to the debate about the nature of the 'Cambrian explosion'. Lobopod animals have emerged as a much more important component of the Cambrian fauna than of the Recent1,2. A new lobopod-like animal, Kerygmachela kierkegaardi gen. et sp. nov., is now reported from the Lower Cambrian Sirius Passet fauna, north Greenland3. Although it shares features with other recently described lobopods, it differs in possessing lateral lobes along the body with dorsal gill-like structures attached to them, a feature that may indicate a relationship with the enigmatic Opabinia4. The presence of such a gilled lobopod suggests an evolutionary link between lobopods and the clade consisting of biramous-limbed arthropods5,6. The Cambrian lobopods thus represent a paraphyletic clade from which fully arthropodized taxa were derived. The data from Kerygmachela, when considered with recently published molecular data, may suggest a biphyletic origin for the arthropod grade of organization.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ramsköld, L. & Hou, X. Nature 351, 225–228 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Dzik, J. & Krumbiegel, G. Lethaia 22, 169–181 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Conway Morris, S. et al. Nature 326, 181–183 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Whittington, H. B. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B271, 1–43 (1975).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Cisne, J. L. Science 186, 13–18 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Briggs, D. E. G. & Fortey, F. A. Science 246, 241–243 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Whittington, H. B. Phil. Trans R. Soc. B284, 165–197 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Hou X. & Chen J. Acta palaeont. sin. 27, 208–213 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Dzik, J. in The Early Evolution of the Metazoa and the Significance of Problematic Taxa (eds Simonetta, A. M. & Conway Morris, S.) 47–56 (Cambridge, Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bengtson, S. et al. in Problematic Fossil Taxa (eds Hoffman, A. & Nitecki, M. H.) 97–115 (Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 1986).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hou, X. Ramsköld, L. & Bergström, J. Zoologica Scripta 20, 395–411 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Ramsköld, L. Lethaia 26, 443–460 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Robison, R. A. J. Palaeont 59, 226–235 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Bergström, J. Lethaia 19, 241–246 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Whittington, H. B. & Briggs, D. E. G. Phil Trans R. Soc. B309, 569–609 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Briggs, D. E. G. & Whittington, H. B. Lethaia 20, 185–186 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Bergström, J. Lethaia 20, 187–188 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Collins, D. Pal. Soc. Spec. Publ. 6, 66 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Willmer, P. G. Invertebrate Relationships: Patterns In Animal Evolution 1–400 (CUP, Cambridge, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Boudreaux, H. B. Arthropod Phytogeny with Special References to Insects 1–320 (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Ax, P. The Phylogenetic System 1–340 (John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Manton, S. M. The Arthropoda, Habits, Functional Morphology and Evolution 1–527 (Clarendon, Oxford, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Turbeville et al. Molec. Biol. Evol. 8, 669–686 (1991).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Lake, J. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 763–766 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Field, K. G. et al. Science 239, 748–753 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Ballard, J. W. O. et al. Science 258, 1345–1348 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Whittington, H. B. Bull. geol. Surv. Can. 209, 1–24 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Briggs, D. E. G., Fortey, R. A. & Wills, M. Science 256, 1670–1673 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Conway Morris, S. Nature 361, 219–225 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK

    Graham Budd

Authors
  1. Graham Budd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Budd, G. A Cambrian gilled lobopod from Greenland. Nature 364, 709–711 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/364709a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/364709a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing