First record of growth patterns in a Cambrian annelid

Abstract

Early annelid evolution is mostly known from 13 described species from Cambrian Burgess Shale-type Lagerstätten. We introduce a new exceptionally well-preserved polychaete,Ursactis comosagen. et sp. nov., from the Burgess Shale (Wuliuan Stage). This small species (3–15 mm) is the most abundant Cambrian polychaete known to date. Most specimens come from Tokumm Creek, a new Burgess Shale locality in northern Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada.Ursactishas a pair of large palps, thin peristomial neurochaetae and biramous parapodia bearing similarly sized capillary neurochaetae and notochaetae, except for segments six to nine, which also have longer notochaetae. The number of segments in this polychaete range between 8 and 10 with larger individuals having 10 segments. This number of segments inUrsactisis remarkably small compared with other polychaetes, including modern forms. Specimens with 10 segments show significant size variations, and the length of each segment increases with the body length, indicating that body growth was primarily achieved by increasing the size of existing segments rather than adding new ones. This contrasts with most modern polychaetes, which typically have a larger number of segments through additions of segments throughout life. The inferred growth pattern inUrsactissuggests that annelids had evolved control over segment addition by the mid-Cambrian.