Cambrian euarthropod Urokodia aequalis sheds light on the origin of Artiopoda body plan

Summary: The origin and evolution of trilobated body plan of the Artiopoda, a group of epibenthic euarthropods from Cambrian Lagerstätten, remain unclear. Here we examine old and new specimens of Urokodia aequalis, one of euarthropods from the Chengjiang biota, revealing new morphological details and revising its taxonomy. Urokodia possesses an elongate body with a five-segmented head, a thorax with 13–15 tergites, and a three-segmented pygidium with well-defined axial region. The ventral morphology includes paired stalked eyes, one fleshy antenna pair, the following homogeneous head and thoracic appendages, each with an annular proximal-element, an articulated stenopodous branch and a lamellar flap, and the pygidial appendages solely consisting of lamellar flaps. Cladistic analyses resolved Urokodia as the basal-most member of the Artiopoda, offering a hypothesis of the initial origin of trilobation in the pygidium. The new data, in conjunction with the presence of the elongated body plan across major lineages of euarthropods, suggest a convergent evolution of this trait.