This is a list of the biota of the Burgess Shale, a Cambrian lagerstätte located in Yoho National Park in Canada.
The Burgess Shale is a fossil-bearing deposit exposed in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils. At 508 million years old (middle Cambrian), it is one of the earliest fossil beds containing soft-part imprints. During the Cambrian, the ecosystem of the Burgess Shale sat under 100 to 300 metres (330 to 1000 feet) of water at the base of a submarine canyon known as the Cathedral Escarpment, which today is a part of the Canadian Rockies. The ecosystem would have sat in dimly lit water, most likely at the edge, or in the Mesopelagic zone. The ecosystem was preserved by rapid mudslides that quickly buried organisms near, or on the seafloor, which helps explain the rarity of nektonic organisms at the site. The shale would have supported unique environments like brine pools that could have also helped to preserve the fossils. Notable areas that expose the Burgess Shale include the Walcott Quarry, Marble Canyon, Stephen Formation, Tulip Beds, Stanley Glacier, the Trilobite Beds and the Cathedral Formation. With each site occupying a varying depth, and distance from the base of the escarpments.
Arthropoda Crown-group arthropods (euarthropods such as trilobites) and their stem-group relatives (such as radiodonts) are extremely diverse and some species are abundant in the Burgess Shale. Along with their earlier-diverging cousins, the "Lobopodians", they provide great information on early Panarthropod evolution. ArthropodsGenusPhylumHigher taxonLocality of Origin NotesImagesOpabiniaStem-group ArthropodaOpabiniidae Walcott Quarry Raymond QuarryAn opabiniid stem-group arthropod. This animal had five stalked eyes, a set of swimming trunk appendages, and a proboscis tipped with a claw-like appendage. AnomalocarisStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Trilobite Beds Tulip Beds Walcott Quarry Raymond Quarry Collins Quarry Stanley GlacierThe largest radiodont from the Burgess Shale, and the ecosystem’s apex predator. What it ate has been somewhat controversial due to the possible softness of its oral cone (mouthpart). HurdiaStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Marble Canyon Walcott Quarry Raymond Quarry Collins Quarry Tulip Beds Stanley GlacierA hurdiid radiodont that possessed a large frontal head sclerite. This animal is known from deposits in North America.PeytoiaStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Walcott Quarry Tulip Beds A close relative of Hurdia that was originally named as a jellyfish, but was later recognized as the oral cone of the creature. This creature is also known from European deposits. MosuraStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Raymond Quarry Marble Canyon Tokumm Creek A unique hurdiid known from around sixty specimens. Similarly to Stanleycaris, this taxon possesses a third median eye, and lacks P-elements. Also notable is its extreme tagmatization, and small size. StanleycarisStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Stanley GlacierA basal hurdiid radiodont known from a variety of Cambrian deposits in North America. Although looking more like anomalocaridid and amplectobeluid radiodonts, it has features that more closely align it with the hurdiids.CambrorasterStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Marble CanyonA unique looking hurdiid that bore a distinct horseshoe shaped head sclerite. This radiodont was first described in 2019, and was named after the fictional Millennium Falcon, which its dorsal carapace resembles.TitanokorysStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Marble CanyonThe largest hurdiid from the shale, and one of the largest Cambrian animals (up to a foot long). This radiodont was originally thought to have been a giant specimen of Cambroraster until late 2021.AmplectobeluaStem-group ArthropodaRadiodonta Tulip Beds Radiodont distinguished by its claw-shaped frontal appendages, another species A. symbrachiata, is known from China WaptiaArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Walcott Quarry Raymond QuarryA hymenocarine that possessed a shrimp-like body and is one of the earliest known examples of parental care in the fossil record.CanadaspisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Walcott Quarry A hymenocarine that is thought to have been benthic feeders that moved mainly by walking and possibly used its biramous appendages to stir mud in search of food. They have been placed within the Hymenocarina, which includes other bivalved Cambrian arthropods.FibulacarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Marble CanyonA small, odarid hymenocarine that most likely swam in an inverted position in the water column. It most likely lived as a nektonic suspension feeder. BalhuticarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Marble CanyonA large hymenocarine arthropod that most likely lived a mainly nektonic lifestyle. This creature had about 110 pairs of biramous limbs, the most of any Cambrian aged arthropod.LoricicarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Collins QuarryA hymenocarine with an elongated, spined abdomen. It was found in the Kicking Horse Shale Member of the shaleOdaraiaArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Walcott Quarry Raymond QuarryA hymenocarine arthropod that bore a large pair of eyes at the front of its body, and may have had two smaller eyes in between. It had a tubular body with at least 45 pairs of biramous limbs, and its tail had three fins – two horizontal, one vertical – which were used to stabilise the animal as it swam on its back.PakucarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Marble Canyon A hymenocarine that ranged in length from 11.65 to 26.6 millimetres (0.459 to 1.047 in). The main bivalved carapace covers around 80% of the body, with the pygidium covering the remaining 20%. PerspicarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Marble Canyon Walcott Quarry Tulip Beds Trilobite BedsTwo named species are known from the Burgess Shale; Perspicaris dictynna and Perspicaris recondita, which differ in maximum size (66 millimetres (2.6 in) in P. recondita vs 29 millimetres (1.1 in) in P. dictynna), as well as proportions of the tail. NereocarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Tulip Beds Collins QuarryA large hymenocarine. This genus, including both species, is diagnosed by the presence of two lateral stalked eyes and one median eye, the possession of a laterally compressed bivalved carapace with hook-like elements, and a telson with a triangular medial process and a three-segmented elongate lateral process.TokummiaArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Marble CanyonA hymenocarine known from the Marble canyon deposits that was one of the first animals that evolved claws. The genus name Tokummia named after Tokumm Creek which runs through the Marble Canyon. The species name katalepsis means Greek word for "seizing", "gasping" or "holding".BranchiocarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Marble Canyon Walcott Quarry Raymond Quarry Collins Quarry Tulip BedsA hymenocarine that had a pair of short segmented tapered antennules with at least 20 segments, as well as a pair of claw appendages. It was likely an active swimmer, and used the claw appendages to bring food to the mouth.PlenocarisArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Walcott Quarry Raymond Quarry Colins Quarry This hymenocarine was originally described as a species of Yohoia by Walcott in 1912, but was placed into its own genus in 1974.TuzoiaArthropodaOrder Hymenocarina Marble Canyon Walcott Quarry Raymond Quarry Collins Quarry Tulip Beds A genus of large hymenocarine known from Early to Middle Cambrian marine environments from what is now North America, Australia, China, Europe and Siberia. The large, domed carapace reached lengths of 180 millimetres (7.1 in), making them amongst the largest known Cambrian arthropods.BurgessiaArthropodaUnassigned Walcott QuarryAlong with an uncertain placement in the arthropod family tree, Burgessia had a delicate structure below its round carapace. The largest individuals were only a little over four centimetres in length, and the smallest about half a centimetre from the front of the carapace to the tip of the rear spine.CarnarvoniaArthropodaUnassigned Raymond Quarry An arthropod of uncertain placement. Only known from a single bivalved carapace that bears veins. WorthenellaArthropodaFamily Kootenichelidae Walcott Quarry An elongate arthropod of uncertain affinities, only known from a single specimen with 44 body segments with limbs.KootenichelaArthropodaFamily Kootenichelidae Stanley Glacier Kootenichela has appendages bound to the trunk are poorly sclerotised. It was approximately 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long. Most prominent are the claw-like, spinose cephalic appendages, which seem to suggest affinities with Megacheira, the "great appendage" arthropods. However, study in 2015 researchers could not confirm neither the head configuration nor the megacheiran interpretation of the anatomy. Kootenichela has been subsequently suggested to be a chimera of various arthropods such as a bivalved arthropod.LiangshanellaArthropodaBradoriida Marble Canyon Walcott Quarry Raymond QuarryA bradoriid arthropod. 6263 specimens of Liangshanella are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they are 11.9% of the community.MarrellaArthropodaMarrellomorpha Marble Canyon Walcott Quarry Raymond Quarry Tulip BedsThe most common organism of the Burgess Shale fauna. It was initially called the "Lace Crab" by Walcott, and was described more formally as an odd trilobite. In 1971, Whittington undertook a thorough redescription of the animal and, on the basis of its legs, gills and head appendages, concluded that it was neither a trilobite, nor a chelicerate, nor a crustacean. It carried a shield extending from its head over its gills. The brush-like appendages of its head probably swept food into its mouth. It is likely to have been an active swimmer with its swimming appendages used in a backstroke motion, with the large spines acting as stabilizers.SkaniaArthropodaMarrellomorpha? Walcott Quarry Raymond QuarryA somewhat enigmatic arthropod that has been speculated to have belonged to the Marrellomorpha.PrimicarisArthropodaMarrellomorpha? Marble CanyonAn arthropod originally thought to have been a nektaspid, but is now considered a possible marrellomorph.EmeraldellaArthropoda(unranked)
Artiopoda Walcott QuarryA vicissicaudatan arthropod that was aligned close to the trilobites. This creature had caudal flaps that are present on the terminal tergite, alongside an elongated spine.SidneyiaArthropoda(unranked) Artiopoda Walcott Quarry Raymond Quarry Collins Quarry Tulip Beds Stanley GlacierSidneyia was a large 13 centimeter (5.1 in) long predatory artiopod that most likely was a durophagous predator, due to young trilobites, hyoliths, and brachiopods being commonly found as stomach contents. Other species are known from earlier deposits in China.TegopelteArthropoda(unranked) Artiopoda Walcott Quarry A species of large (up to long) soft-bodied arthropod known from two specimens from the Burgess Shale. Trackways that may have been produced by this organism or a close relative are known from the Kicking Horse Shale, stratigraphically below its body fossil occurrences. It is currently classified as a concilitergan arthropod within the Artiopoda. HelmetiaArthropoda(unranked) Artiopoda Walcott Quarry Raymond QuarryAnother concilitergan arthropod. Fossils are both rare and poorly known; the genus was described by Walcott in 1918 and has not been reexamined, though it was briefly reviewed in the 1990s and has been included in a number of cladistic analyses. It has been lumped with the arachnomorphs. One analysis has resolved the Helmetiiida as a robust clade and the closest relatives of trilobites.MolariaArthropoda(unranked) Artiopoda Marble Canyon Walcott Quarry