Fossil Phyllocarid (Ceratiocaris) - Fort Erie, Ontario

This is a fossil Phyllocarid (Ceratiocaris) from the Williamsville Formation in Canada. The tail is slightly disarticulated from the carapace, but finding the two parts together is rather rare.

Phyllocarids are a type of arthropod that first developed during the Cambrian. They had a hard protective shell, hinged carapace, and were thought to have a lifestyle similar to shrimp. Exactly how they fit into the arthropod taxonomy is still under debate: they may represent either a stem-lineage euarthropod or a primitive branchiopod crustacean.

SPECIES

Ceratiocaris sp.

AGE

Silurian

LOCATION

Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada

FORMATION

Williamsville Formation

SIZE

Rock 4.3 x 4.3"

Fossil Phyllocarid (Ceratiocaris) - Fort Erie, Ontario

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