Cricocosmia
| Cricocosmia Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Fossil specimen of Cricocosmia jinningensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Class: | †Palaeoscolecida |
| Family: | †Cricocosmiidae |
| Genus: | †Cricocosmia |
| Species: | †C. jinningensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Cricocosmia jinningensis Hou & Sun, 1988 | |
Cricocosmia is an abundant palaeoscolecid worm endemic to the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota of Yunnan, China. It resembles modern priapulids, and holds a pivotal role in understanding the evolution of early ecdysozoans. It possessed paired lateral sclerites and paired ventral projections which have been compared with early panarthropod legs. It was a detritivore, living in shallow horizontal burrows, sometimes in great concentration.