Lobopodia

Lobopodia is a taxon of poorly understood animals dating back to the Early Cambrian. They include animals that are segmented, have (or might have) legs, and do not fit easily into the phylum Arthropoda. Basically, these are "worms with legs" and some things that look like their relatives. Most are regarded as related to the arthropods and possibly the Onychophora. Depending on the author, the Lobopods might include the anomalocarids, possibly Opabinia, and some onychophore-like forms -- Xenusion, Microdictyon, Aysheaia, Onychodictyon, Paucipoda, Cardiodictyon, Luolishania, the modern onychophores themselves, and even the tardigrades.

Since the species of Microdictyon have scleritic scales, some authors might include the several other forms from Early Cambrian time that have sclerites.

The known lobopods are fair-sized to large (2 cm up) animals that are largely free-swimming or mobile. To the extent that they are known, many appear to be predators. Little is known about their growth, lifestyle, or relationship to other early lifeforms.

Other uses

The name lobopodia is also used for lobose pseudopods, found among certain amoeboids.

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