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Aysheaia
A rare arthropod, known only from a few speciments, ranging in length from 1cm to 6cm(2 1/2 in ) . Its cylindrical body has a pair of appendages on the head and ten pairs of stocky, elongate limbs. The head is distinct from the body, while the terminal region fuses with the base of the last pair of limbs. Fossils show that the body was covered in a flexible, waxy layer subdivided into at least 12 successive, annulate segments. These rise up on the dorsal region to form an almost crestlike ridge and are adorned with tubercles. The mouth is also visible, surrounded by papillae. The limbs are more or less conical; they too have 12 annulate segments, which may have spines pointing either forward or backwards. The limbs possess claws.
Note -- Aysheaia has been attributed to the class onychophora, to which the modern Peripatus, a New Zealand living fossil, also belongs. The animal lived among colonies of sponges and it is possible that it fed on their soft parts.
1-6cmm
Copyright 1986 by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A, Milan
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