Lepidocaris
| Lepidocaris Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Artist's restoration | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Branchiopoda |
| Order: | †Lipostraca Scourfield, 1926 |
| Family: | †Lepidocarididae Scourfield, 1926 |
| Genus: | †Lepidocaris Scourfield, 1926 |
| Species: | †L. rhyniensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Lepidocaris rhyniensis Scourfield, 1926 | |
Lepidocaris rhyniensis is an extinct species of crustacean. It is the only species known from the order Lipostraca, and is the only abundant animal in the Pragian-aged Rhynie chert deposits. It resembles modern Anostraca, to which it is probably closely related, although its relationships to other orders remain unclear. The body is 3 mm (0.12 in) long, with 23 body segments and 19 pairs of appendages, but no carapace. It occurred chiefly among charophytes, probably in alkaline temporary pools.