Cathaymyrus

Cathaymyrus
Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3,
C. diadexus and Vetulocystis
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Genus: Cathaymyrus
Shu, Conway Morris & Zhang 1996
Type species
Cathaymyrus diadexus
Shu, Conway Morris & Zhang 1996
Species
  • C. diadexus Shu, Conway Morris & Zhang 1996
  • C. haikoensis Luo & Hu 2001

Cathaymyrus is a genus of Early Cambrian chordate known from the Chengjiang biota in Yunnan Province, China. Both species have a long segmented body with no distinctive head. The segments resemble the v-shaped muscle blocks found in cephalochordates such as Amphioxus. A long linear impression runs along the "back" of the body looking something like a chordate notochord.

While some authors have suggested that the genus is a cephalochordate and closely related to living lancelets, other authors have disputed this due to the poor preservation of the head region, considering its placement within Chordata uncertain.

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