Utaurora
| Utaurora Temporal range: Middle Cambrian,
~ | |
|---|---|
| Holotype specimen of Utaurora comosa (KUMIP 314087) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Stem group: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | †Dinocaridida |
| Order: | †Opabiniida |
| Family: | †Opabiniidae |
| Genus: | †Utaurora Pates et al., 2022 |
| Type species | |
| †Utaurora comosa Pates et al., 2022
| |
Utaurora is an extinct genus of opabiniid, which were stem-arthropods closely related to true arthropods and radiodonts; the type species is U. comosa. The animal's fossils come from the Cambrian of Utah. This genus is the only other known unquestionable opabiniid, with the other being Opabinia itself. There are other animals like Myoscolex and Mieridduryn that could be opabiniids, but the classification of those two genera is still debated.