Erratus
| Erratus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Schematic reconstruction in dorsal and ventral views | |
| Life restoration | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Genus: | †Erratus Fu et al. 2022 |
| Type species | |
| Erratus sperare Fu et al. 2022 | |
Erratus is an extinct genus of marine arthropod from the Cambrian of China. Its type and only species is Erratus sperare. Erratus is likely one of the most basal known arthropods, and its discovery has helped scientists understand the early evolution of arthropod trunk appendages. Some of the stem-arthropods like radiodonts did not have legs, instead they had flap like appendages that helped them swim. Erratus on the other hand had not only flaps but also a set of primitive legs. It also supported the theory that the gills of aquatic arthropods probably evolved into the wings and lungs of terrestrial arthropods later in the Paleozoic.
Fossils of Erratus have been found in the Chengjiang Lagerstätte of China, dating to around 520 million years ago. Erratus was a small, nektonic organism with a bivalved carapace that probably ate by deposit feeding or filter feeding.