Cathaymyrus
| Cathaymyrus Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3,
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|---|---|
| C. diadexus (top) and Vetulocystis (bottom) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Genus: | †Cathaymyrus Shu, Conway Morris & Zhang 1996 |
| Type species | |
| Cathaymyrus diadexus Shu, Conway Morris & Zhang 1996
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| Species | |
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Cathaymyrus is a genus of Early Cambrian chordate known from the Chengjiang biota in Yunnan Province, China. Both species have a long segmented body with no distinctive head. The segments resemble v-shaped muscle blocks found in cephalochordates such as Amphioxus. A long linear impression runs along the "back" of the body looking something like a chordate notochord.
While some authors have suggested that the genus is a cephalochordate and closely related to living lancelets, other authors have disputed this due to the poor preservation of the head region, considering its placement within Chordata uncertain.