title: A eucrustacean metanauplius from the Lower Cambrian.
abstract: A new eucrustacean arthropod, Wujicaris muelleri gen. et sp. nov, is represented by a Lower Cambrian early metanauplius of strikingly modern morphology despite being the oldest known fossil of such an early immature crustacean larva. The morphology of the metanauplius closely mirrors that of corresponding developmental stages of living barnacles and copepods, and it is likely that its appendages had a similar function for feeding and locomotion. The metanauplius larva demonstrates remarkable stasis in morphology, life history, and lifestyle of (small) eucrustaceans over 525 million years, probably as a result of adaptation to a long-lasting physical niche and regime involving low Reynolds numbers and laminar current flow.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China. xgzhang@ynu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Xi-guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Joachim T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Haug
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Siveter
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Waloszek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003445:Crustacea / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva