{{Short description|Genus of radiodonts}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Series 2|Series 2|Cambrian Series 2}} |image = Houcaris (Feart-11-1160285-g005).jpg |image_caption = Fossils of ''H. magnabasis'' (B) <br /> and ''H. saron'' (D) |taxon = Houcaris |authority = Wu et al., 2021 |type_species = {{extinct}}'''''Anomalocaris saron''''' |type_species_authority = Hou, Bergström, & Ahlberg, 1995 |subdivision_ranks = Other species |subdivision = * {{extinct}}'''''H.''? ''magnabasis''''' <br/><small>(Pates, Daley, Edgecombe, Cong, & Lieberman, 2019)</small> * {{extinct}}'''''H.''? ''consimilis''''' <br/><small>(Cong et al., 2018)</small> }}
'''''Houcaris''''' is a possibly paraphyletic radiodont genus, tentatively assigned to either Amplectobeluidae, Anomalocarididae or Tamisiocarididae, known from Cambrian Series 2 of China and the United States. The type species is '''''Houcaris saron''''' which was originally described as a species of the related genus ''Anomalocaris''.<ref name=Pates2019/> Other possible species include '''''H. magnabasis''''' and '''''H. consimilis'''''.<ref name=Wu2021/><ref name=McCall23/> The genus ''Houcaris'' was established for the two species in 2021 and honors Hou Xian-guang, who had discovered and named the type species ''Anomalocaris saron'' in 1995 along with his colleagues Jan Bergström and Per E. Ahlberg.<ref name=Hou1995/>
== Species == === ''Houcaris saron'' === <gallery mode="packed"> 20191221 Radiodonta frontal appendage Houcaris saron.png|Frontal appendage of ''H. saron'' 20191029 Outdated Anomalocaris saron.png|Outdated, chimeric reconstruction based on frontal appendage of ''H. saron'' and body of ''Innovatiocaris'' that was previously considered as whole body fossil of ''H. saron'' </gallery> ''H. saron'', known from Maotianshan Shale in Yunnan, is first described in 1995 as '''''Anomalocaris saron'''''.<ref name="Hou1995" /> This species is only known from frontal appendages. There is a specimen (ELRC 20001) that is previously considered as whole body fossil of this species,<ref name="Hou1995" /> but later study shows that this specimen is not belonging to this species, and later given own genus ''Innovatiocaris''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Zeng|first1=Han|last2=Zhao|first2=Fangchen|last3=Niu|first3=Kecheng|last4=Zhu|first4=Maoyan|last5=Huang|first5=Diying|date=2020|title=An early Cambrian euarthropod with radiodont-like raptorial appendages|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2883-7|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=588|issue=7836|pages=101–105|doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2883-7|pmid=33149303|bibcode=2020Natur.588..101Z|s2cid=226248177|issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Moysiuk|first1=Joseph|last2=Caron|first2=Jean-Bernard|date=2021|title=Exceptional multifunctionality in the feeding apparatus of a mid-Cambrian radiodont|journal=Paleobiology|language=en|volume=47|issue=4|pages=704–724|doi=10.1017/pab.2021.19|s2cid=236552819|issn=0094-8373|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021Pbio...47..704M }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zeng |first1=Han |last2=Zhao |first2=Fangchen |last3=Zhu |first3=Maoyan |date=2022-09-07 |title=''Innovatiocaris'', a complete radiodont from the early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte and its implications for the phylogeny of Radiodonta |url=https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2021-164 |journal=Journal of the Geological Society |volume=180 |doi=10.1144/jgs2021-164 |s2cid=252147346 |issn=0016-7649|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Length of frontal appendage is up to at least 12 cm.<ref name="Wu2021" /> Sometimes considered to belong to family Anomalocarididae<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Van Roy|first1=Peter|last2=Daley|first2=Allison C.|last3=Briggs|first3=Derek E. G.|date=2015|title=Anomalocaridid trunk limb homology revealed by a giant filter-feeder with paired flaps|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14256|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=522|issue=7554|pages=77–80|doi=10.1038/nature14256|pmid=25762145|bibcode=2015Natur.522...77V|s2cid=205242881|issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Liu|first1=Jianni|last2=Lerosey-Aubril|first2=Rudy|last3=Steiner|first3=Michael|last4=Dunlop|first4=Jason A|last5=Shu|first5=Degan|last6=Paterson|first6=John R|date=2018-11-01|title=Origin of raptorial feeding in juvenile euarthropods revealed by a Cambrian radiodontan|journal=National Science Review|volume=5|issue=6|pages=863–869|doi=10.1093/nsr/nwy057|issn=2095-5138|doi-access=free}}</ref> or Amplectobeluidae.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Vinther|first1=Jakob|last2=Stein|first2=Martin|last3=Longrich|first3=Nicholas R.|last4=Harper|first4=David A. T.|date=2014|title=A suspension-feeding anomalocarid from the Early Cambrian|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13010|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=507|issue=7493|pages=496–499|doi=10.1038/nature13010|pmid=24670770|bibcode=2014Natur.507..496V|s2cid=205237459|issn=1476-4687|hdl=1983/88f89453-e81f-4767-a74d-1794c33e6b34|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Lerosey-Aubril|first1=Rudy|last2=Pates|first2=Stephen|date=2018-09-14|title=New suspension-feeding radiodont suggests evolution of microplanktivory in Cambrian macronekton|journal=Nature Communications|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=3774|doi=10.1038/s41467-018-06229-7|pmid=30218075|pmc=6138677|bibcode=2018NatCo...9.3774L|issn=2041-1723}}</ref>
=== ''Houcaris''? ''magnabasis'' === <gallery mode="packed" width=280> 20191221 Radiodonta frontal appendage Anomalocaris magnabasis.png|Frontal appendage of ''H. magnabasis'' Anomalocaris saron KUMIP 293584 18.png| Fossils of ''H. magnabasis'' including a frontal appendage and a partial oral cone (upper left corner) </gallery> ''H.''? ''magnabasis'', known from Pioche Shale and Pyramid shale in Nevada, is originally described as ''Anomalocaris'' cf. ''saron'' in 2003,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lieberman|first=Bruce S.|date=2003|title=A new soft-bodied fauna: The Pioche Formation of Nevada|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/new-softbodied-fauna-the-pioche-formation-of-nevada/74A5F0DE3C3DEC6A14C9FC4EAE817E66|journal=Journal of Paleontology|language=en|volume=77|issue=4|pages=674–690|doi=10.1666/0022-3360(2003)077<0674:ANSFTP>2.0.CO;2|bibcode=2003JPal...77..674L |issn=0022-3360|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and later named as '''''Anomalocaris magnabasis''''' in 2019.<ref name="Pates2019" /> This species is only known from frontal appendages and some partial fossils of oral cone (mouthpart) and flaps.<ref name="Pates2019" /> Largest estimated length of frontal appendage is 17.5 cm.<ref name="Pates2019" /> Sometimes considered to belong to family Anomalocarididae<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> or Amplectobeluidae.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
However, results from the phylogenetic analysis by McCall in 2023 suggest that ''H.''? ''magnabasis'' does not form a monophyletic clade with other species of ''Houcaris'', and that it is a sister taxon of the Amplectobeluidae. Thus, he tentatively referred to the species as ''Anomalocaris magnabasis'', even though the results show that it also does not form a clade with known species of ''Anomalocaris''.<ref name=McCall23/>
=== ''Houcaris''? ''consimilis'' === thumb|''H.''? ''consimilis'' ''H.''? ''consimilis'' is known from the Maotianshan Shales of South China and possibly the Latham Shale of California.<ref name=Pates2019/> While this species was originally described within ''Ramskoeldia'' and a sister taxon of its type species (''R. platyacantha''), subsequent studies have rejected their monophyly. In 2022, this species was recovered as a basal member of the Tamisiocarididae close to ''H. saron'' by the describers of ''Innovatiocaris'', and not monophyletic with ''R. platyacantha''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zeng |first1=Han |last2=Zhao |first2=Fangchen |last3=Zhu |first3=Maoyan |date=2022-09-07 |title=''Innovatiocaris'', a complete radiodont from the early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte and its implications for the phylogeny of Radiodonta |url=https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2021-164 |journal=Journal of the Geological Society |volume=180 |doi=10.1144/jgs2021-164 |s2cid=252147346 |issn=0016-7649|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 2023, on the basis of phylogenetic analysis and morphological comparison, McCall suggested that it does not form a monophyletic clade with ''R. platyacantha'', but instead with ''H. saron'', so he included this species within the genus as ''Houcaris consimilis''. His results also consistently recover both species as a member of the Amplectobeluidae.<ref name=McCall23>{{cite journal |last1=McCall |first1=Christian |title=A large pelagic lobopodian from the Cambrian Pioche Shale of Nevada |journal=Journal of Paleontology |date=13 December 2023 |volume=97 |issue=5 |pages=1009–1024 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2023.63 |bibcode=2023JPal...97.1009M |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/large-pelagic-lobopodian-from-the-cambrian-pioche-shale-of-nevada/11B0704C49A7730AA3E8F46EB2CA1C95|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Based on their phylogenetic analysis from the 2024 study describing ''Shucaris'' and the first-known oral cone of ''H''? ''consimilis'', Wu and colleagues recovered ''H''? ''consimilis'' as an amplectobeluid, but not as a sister taxon of ''R. platyacantha'', and rejected the tamisiocaridid affinity.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Yu |last2=Pates |first2=Stephen |last3=Liu |first3=Cong |last4=Zhang |first4=Mingjing |last5=Lin |first5=Weiliang |last6=Ma |first6=Jiaxin |last7=Wu |first7=Yuheng |last8=Chai |first8=Shu |last9=Zhang |first9=Xiangliang |last10=Fu |first10=Dongjing |title=A new radiodont from the lower Cambrian (Series 2 Stage 3) Chengjiang Lagerstätte, South China informs the evolution of feeding structures in radiodonts |journal= Journal of Systematic Palaeontology|date=16 July 2024 |volume=22 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2024.2364887 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2024JSPal..2264887W |hdl=10871/136118 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=Hou1995>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/11035899509546213| issn = 1103-5897| volume = 117| issue = 3| pages = 163–183| last1 = Hou| first1 = Xian-Guang| last2 = Bergström| first2 = Jan| last3 = Ahlberg| first3 = Per| title = Anomalocaris and other large animals in the lower Cambrian Chengjiang fauna of southwest China| journal = GFF| date = 1995| bibcode = 1995GFF...117..163X}}</ref> <ref name=Pates2019>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1002/spp2.1277| issn = 2056-2802| pages = –2.1277| last1 = Pates| first1 = Stephen| last2 = Daley| first2 = Allison C.| last3 = Edgecombe| first3 = Gregory D.| last4 = Cong| first4 = Peiyun| last5 = Lieberman| first5 = Bruce S.| others = Xi-Guang Zhang (ed.)| title = Systematics, preservation and biogeography of radiodonts from the southern Great Basin, USA, during the upper Dyeran (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4)| journal = Papers in Palaeontology| year = 2019 | volume = 7| s2cid = 204260554| url = https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/spp2.1277| url-access = subscription}}</ref> <ref name=Wu2021>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1007/s12542-020-00545-4| issn = 1867-6812| last1 = Wu| first1 = Yu| last2 = Fu| first2 = Dongjing| last3 = Ma| first3 = Jiaxin| last4 = Lin| first4 = Weiliang| last5 = Sun| first5 = Ao| last6 = Zhang| first6 = Xingliang| title = ''Houcaris'' gen. nov. from the early Cambrian (Stage 3) Chengjiang Lagerstätte expanded the palaeogeographical distribution of tamisiocaridids (Panarthropoda: Radiodonta)| journal = PalZ | year = 2021 | volume = 95| issue = 2| pages = 209–221| bibcode = 2021PalZ...95..209W| s2cid = 235221043| url = https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12542-020-00545-4 | url-access = subscription}}</ref> }}
{{Radiodonta}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q107260337}}
Category:Cambrian arthropods of North America Category:Cambrian arthropods of Asia Category:Fossil taxa described in 2021 Category:Cambrian genera Category:Radiodonta Category:Early Cambrian Animals Category:Maotianshan shales fossils