Worm-like fossil is the oldest ancestor of spiders and crustaceans

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Worm-like fossil is the oldest ancestor of spiders and crustaceans

3D laser scan of the specimen, Uncus dzaugisi

Mary L. Droser

A worm-like creature preserved in ancient rock has just been identified as the oldest known relative of insects, spiders and crustaceans.

The ecdysozoans are a group of invertebrate animals with a tough outer coating, or cuticle, that they moult as they grow. It’s clearly a successful evolutionary strategy, because today the group contains millions of species. “Some estimates suggests that about half of all known animal species are ecdysozoans,” says

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at Harvard University. All arthropods – including insects and spiders – belong to the group, and so do …

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#Wormlike #fossil #oldest #ancestor #spiders #crustaceans

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