Amplectobelua

Am-plec-to-bel-u-ah.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Amplectobelua.

Phonetic

Am-plec-to-bel-u-ah.

Named By

Hou, Bergstr�m & Ahlberg - 1995.

Classification

Arthopoda,‭ ‬Dinocaridida,‭ ‬Radiodonta,‭ ‬Anomalocarididae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬symbrachiata‭

Size

Appendages range in size from‭ ‬2.8‭ ‬to‭ ‬5.1‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Canada.‭ ‬China.

Time Period

Mid Cambrian.

Fossil representation

A.‭ ‬symbrachiata known from several specimens,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬stephenensis only known from claws.

In Depth

       Amplectobelua is a genus of anomalocaridid that is known from deposits in both Canada and China.‭ ‬Amplectobelua is one of the more specialised anomalocaridid genera as the main grasping appendages terminate in rudimentary claws that would have allowed Amplectobelua to pick up small objects,‭ ‬be they morsels of organic matter,‭ ‬or small organisms on the sea floor.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬New anomalocaridid appendages from the Burgess Shale,‭ ‬Canada.‭ ‬Palaeontology‭ ‬53‭ (‬4‭)‬:‭ ‬721.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Allison C.‭ ‬Daley‭ & ‬Gregory E.‭ ‬Budd‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT