Australimicola

{{Short description|Genus of ancient aquatic arthropods}} {{Speciesbox | fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Cambrian Stage 4}} | image = Australimicola.svg | image_upright = 0.5 | image_caption = Life restoration | display_parents = 2 | genus = Australimicola | parent_authority = Paterson, García-Bellido & Edgecombe, 2012<ref name=GBIF>{{GBIF |title=''Australimicola'' Paterson, García-Bellido & Edgecombe, 2012 |id=9496180 |access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref> | species = spriggi | authority = Paterson ''et al.'', 2012<ref name=GBIF/> }}

'''''Australimicola''''' is a genus of extinct marine arthropods from the Cambrian Stage 4 aged Emu Bay Shale of South Australia with a single species, '''''A. spriggi'''''.

== Description == ''Australimicola'' had an elongate (maximum width only 40-50% of the total length), oval shaped body, reaching {{Convert|2-2.7|cm}} in length, made up of 27 tergites (segments), which had blunt ends. The semicircular headshield, which is around 40% as long as wide, only made up about 10% of the body length, and they have no visible expression of eyes on the top (dorsal) side of the shield. The head bore a pair of segmented antennae, with these segments being about as wide as long. The head also bore a shield-shaped hypostome on the underside. A narrow gut tract ran along the length of the body, with midgut glands also being present. The endopods (leg-like walking limbs), were attached with one pair to each body segment/tergite, and tapered towards their ends. These endopod limbs were relatively short, only reaching 50% of the body width. The body ended with a small pygidium with a pair of long flat divergent spines.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Paterson |first=John R. |last2=García-Bellido |first2=Diego C. |last3=Edgecombe |first3=Gregory D. |date=March 2012 |title=New artiopodan arthropods from the early Cambrian Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte of South Australia |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022336000000354/type/journal_article |journal=Journal of Paleontology |language=en |volume=86 |issue=2 |pages=340–357 |doi=10.1666/11-077.1 |issn=0022-3360|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Taxonomy == ''Australimicola'' is placed within Artiopoda, the broader group which includes trilobites and their close relatives. In its original description it was placed in Conciliterga,<ref name=":0" /> but later studies placed it in Protosutura alongside ''Zhiwenia'' and ''Acanthomeridion'' from the Cambrian of China.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Du |first=Kun‐sheng |last2=Ortega‐Hernández |first2=Javier |last3=Yang |first3=Jie |last4=Zhang |first4=Xi‐guang |date=June 2019 |title=A soft‐bodied euarthropod from the early Cambrian Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte of China supports a new clade of basal artiopodans with dorsal ecdysial sutures |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cla.12344 |journal=Cladistics |language=en |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=269–281 |doi=10.1111/cla.12344 |issn=0748-3007}}</ref>

Cladogram following Wu et al. (2025)''.''<ref name="wu 2025">{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Yuheng |last2=Liu |first2=Cong |last3=Wu |first3=Yu |last4=Zhang |first4=Mingjing |last5=Hao |first5=Shudi |last6=Ma |first6=Jiaxin |last7=Lin |first7=Weiliang |last8=Fu |first8=Dongjing |date=2025-05-07 |title=A reappraisal of the early Cambrian artiopod Acanthomeridion serratum reveals cephalic appendages specialized for durophagy |url=https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2024-156 |journal=Journal of the Geological Society |volume=182 |issue=4 |pages=jgs2024–156 |doi=10.1144/jgs2024-156 |issn=0016-7649 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{clade|{{clade |1=''Squamacula'' 80px |2={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Pygmaclypeatus'' 100px |2=''Retifacies'' 100px }} |label2=Protosutura |2={{clade |1=''Australimicola'' 35px |2={{clade |1=''Zhiwenia'' 50px |2=''Acanthomeridion'' 100px }}}} }} |2={{clade |1=''Kwanyinaspis'' |2={{clade |label1=Trilobitomorpha |1={{clade |1=Nektaspida 70px |2=Conciliterga 100px |3=Xandarellida 50px |4={{clade |1=''Phytophilaspis'' |2=Trilobita 100px }} }} |label2=Vicissicaudata |2={{clade |1=''Sidneyia'' 100px |2={{clade |1=Cheloniellida 70px |2={{clade |1=''Emeraldella'' 70px |2={{clade |1=''Kodymirus'' 70px |2={{clade |1=''Eozetetes'' |2=Aglaspidida 100px }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}|label1=Artiopoda}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

Category:Artiopoda Category:Fossil taxa described in 2012 Category:Monotypic artiopod genera