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Megadictyon Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3 PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Reconstruction of Megadictyon cf. haikouensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Lobopodia
Class:	†Xenusia
Order:	†Siberiida
Family:	†Siberiidae
Genus:	†Megadictyon Luo & Hu, 1999
Species:	†M. haikouensis Luo & Hu, 1999

Megadictyon is a genus of Cambrian lobopodian with similarities to Jianshanopodia and Siberion. Occasionally mis-spelt Magadictyon.

Description

Megadictyon is a large lobopodian, with a body length (excluding appendages) possibly up to 20 centimeters in total. The head has a pair of robust frontal appendages associated with rows of spines and terminal claws. Located on the underside of the head is a radiodont-like mouthpart formed by multiple layers of plates and tooth-like structures. The trunk is wide and annulated, with a pair of well-developed lobopodous limbs on each body segment. Only 8 segment/limb pairs are countable in the incomplete fossil materials which are lacking the posterior region, so it may have had more (possibly up to 11 to 13) in nature. It also has pairs of digestive glands similar to those of basal arthropods.

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic position of Megadictyon according to Pates et al. (2022).

References

1. "Corrigendum". Acta Zoologica. 89 (2): 183. 2007. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2007.00307.x.
2. ^ Liu, J.-N.; Shu, D.-G.; Han, J.; Zhang, Z.-F.; Zhang, X.-L. (2007). "Morpho-anatomy of the lobopod Magadictyon cf. haikouensis from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte, South China". Acta Zoologica. 88 (4): 279–288. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2007.00281.x.
3. Liu, J.-N.; Shu, D.-G.; Han, J.; Zhang, Z.-F.; Zhang, X. (2008). "Origin, diversification, and relationships of Cambrian lobopods". Gondwana Research. 14 (1–2): 277–283. Bibcode:2008GondR..14..277L. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2007.10.001.
4. Vannier, Jean; Liu, Jianni; Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy; Vinther, Jakob; Daley, Allison C (2014). "Sophisticated digestive systems in early arthropods". Nature Communications. 5: 3641. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.3641V. doi:10.1038/ncomms4641. PMID 24785191.
5. Pates, Stephen; Wolfe, Joanna M.; Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy; Daley, Allison C.; Ortega-Hernández, Javier (2022-02-09). "New opabiniid diversifies the weirdest wonders of the euarthropod stem group". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 289 (1968). doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.2093. PMC 8826304. PMID 35135344.

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