Nectocaris pteryx was interpreted as a soft-bodied cephalopod in the cited study, but absent diagnostic hard parts and feeding structures keep that placement contested.
claim:taxon:nectocaris:taxonomyNectocaris pteryx
Ninety newly prepared specimens reveal eyes, two tentacles, lateral fins and a funnel-like structure; a cephalopod interpretation remains contested.
Represented range508–505 Ma
Content packagemolluscs-brachiopods
PBDBtxn:297012
Evidence boundary
Automated checks cover structure, identifiers, translations and links only; maintainer and external expert review are not complete.
Claim ledger
The profile is restricted to the Burgess Shale sample and does not infer the full distribution of Nectocaris.
claim:taxon:nectocaris:biogeographySwimming and predation are inferred from fins, eyes, tentacles and a funnel-like structure; performance, prey and behaviour are not directly observed.
claim:taxon:nectocaris:ecologyNinety specimens preserve paired eyes, two tentacles, lateral fins and a ventral funnel-like structure, while shell, siphuncle, beak and radula evidence is absent.
claim:taxon:nectocaris:morphologyThe 508–505 Ma envelope is a bounded Burgess Shale context, not a global species duration or cephalopod crown age.
claim:taxon:nectocaris:fossil-rangeKnown limits
- A missing branch or fossil occurrence does not imply biological absence. Internal nodes are not calibrated divergence estimates.
References
- Primitive soft-bodied cephalopods from the CambrianSmith, M.R.; Caron, J.-B. · 2010 · DOI 10.1038/nature09068
- Open Tree of Life web servicesOpenTreeOfLife Project
- The Paleobiology Database application programming interfacePeters, S.E.; McClennen, M. · 2016 · DOI 10.1017/pab.2015.39
- Denormalized occurrence and taxon tables of the Paleobiology DatabaseThe Paleobiology Database Community; Kocsis, Á.T. · 2026 · DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21620933