Paropsonema
Extinct genus of Cambrian animals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paropsonema is an eldonioid known from the Devonian of upstate New York and (if P. mirabile is a species of Paropsonema rather than Discophyllum) the Silurian of southern Australia. It is the latest-surviving known member of the Eldonioidea and Cambroernida.[1]
| Paropsonema Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Stem group: | Ambulacraria |
| Clade: | †Cambroernida |
| Class: | †Eldonioidea |
| Clade: | †Paropsonemida |
| Genus: | †Paropsonema Clarke 1900 |
| Type species | |
| †P. cryptophya Clarke 1900 | |
| Species[1][2] | |
| |
A specimen described in 2018 may represent an additional species, but has been tentatively assigned to P. cryptohya;[3] it represents the youngest described paropsonemid.[4]
The species Discophyllum mirabile has been thought to be closer to Paropsonema than to the sole previously-described species of Discophyllum, D. peltata.[5] As a result, sources treat it as Paropsonema mirabile.[1] Conversely, at least one worker has treated P. cryptophya as a member of Discophyllum, D. cryptophya, although this has not been followed by later authors.[6] Regardless, Paropsonema and Discophyllum are grouped together informally as "paropsonemids."[6][1]
