Well Preserved Phyllocarid (Pseudoarctolepis sharpi) - Utah

This is a well preserved Phyllocarid (Pseudoarctolepis sharpi) from the Middle Cambrian, Wheeler Shale of Utah. Phyllocarids are uncommon finds in this formation, and finding one as intact as this specimen is rare. It's 2.8" wide and includes both split halves of the specimen. Both of the "arms" projecting from it's body which were thought to help with balance are visible which is rare. It was collected from the U-Dig trilobite quarry in the House, Range.

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