Meristosoma

"a dark gray rock with a smudge that is made up of lines"Robison & Wiley (1995) described a new arthropod from the Middle Cambrian of Utah, Meristosoma paradoxum. This enigmatic arthropod has some characteristics resembling centipedes and millipedes (particularly the long, multisegmented body). Lack of preserved appendages, however, has prevented making such an association with high confidence. It is possible in fact that Meristosoma may be more closely related to other arthropod groups.

 

Gallery of Meristosoma

Note: Marks on all scale bars are centimeters (cm).

Meristosoma paradoxum Robison & Wiley, 1995

a gray rock with a croissant shaped smudge made up of lines

KUMIP 204511 (Holotype; part). Spence Shale Member of the Langston Formation, Wellsville Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah. Figure 1.1., 1.2 in Robison & Wiley (1995).

a close up of a gray and yellow rock with a smudge made up of a bunch of lines

KUMIP 204512 (Paratype). Spence Shale Member of the Langston Formation, Wellsville Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah. Figure 3.3 in Robison & Wiley (1995).

a yellow rock with a seashell like body in the middle of it

KUMIP 204513 (Paratype). Spence Shale Member of the Langston Formation, Wellsville Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah. Figure 5 in Robison & Wiley (1995).

a gray rock with a bunch of dark smudges that are thick lines with a pattern

KUMIP 204515 (Paratype; part). Spence Shale Member of the Langston Formation, Wellsville Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah. Figure 3.2 in Robison & Wiley (1995).

a close up of a yellow rock and a dark gray smudge in the middle that has a razor like bottom and a circle body

KUMIP 204519 (Paratype). Spence Shale Member of the Langston Formation, Wellsville Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah. Figure 1.3 in Robison & Wiley (1995).

a gray and yellow rock with a bunch of gray lines smudged together going across the rock

KUMIP 314012. Spence Shale Member of the Langston Formation, Wellsville Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah.

Meristosoma sp. Robison & Wiley, 1995

a red rock with a orange smudge of a bunch of lines that form a half circle
KUMIP 204520 (Part, counterpart). Marjum Formation, House Range, Millard County, Utah. Figure 7 in Robison & Wiley (1995).