Actaeus is a genus of leanchoiliid megacheiran arthropod, containing the single species Actaeus armatus. It is known from a single specimen recovered from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada,[1] and it may be actually a poorly preserved specimen of Alalcomenaeus.[2] The specimen is over 6 cm long and has a body consisting of a head shield, 11 body tergites, and a terminal plate.[3] It was named after Actaeus, first king of attica, and armatus a combination of greek and latin words to describe the frontal appendages of the species.[4]
| Actaeus armatus Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Holotype specimen | |
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| Reconstruction of Actaeus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | †Megacheira |
| Order: | †Leanchoilida |
| Family: | †Leanchoiliidae |
| Genus: | †Actaeus Simonetta, 1970 |
| Species: | †A. armatus
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| Binomial name | |
| †Actaeus armatus Simonetta, 1970
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References
edit- ^ Briggs, Derek E. G.; Collins, Desmond (1988). "A Middle Cambrian chelicerate from Mount Stephen, British Columbia" (PDF). Palaeontology. 31 (3): 779–798. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
- ^ Briggs, Derek E. G.; Collins, Desmond (1999). "The Arthropod Alalcomenaeus cambricus Simonetta, from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia". Palaeontology. 42 (6): 953–977. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00104. ISSN 0031-0239.
- ^ Whittington, H. B. (May 12, 1981). "Rare Arthropods from the Burgess Shale, Middle Cambrian, British Columbia". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 292 (1060): 329–357. Bibcode:1981RSPTB.292..329W. doi:10.1098/rstb.1981.0033.
- ^ "Actaeus armatus. Burgess Shale Fossil Gallery". Virtual Museum of Canada. (Burgess Shale species 23). Archived from the original on March 26, 2023.
External links
edit- "Actaeus armatus. Burgess Shale Fossil Gallery". Virtual Museum of Canada. (Burgess Shale species 23). Archived from the original on March 26, 2023.