''Cambroproteus'' is a genus of ptychopariid

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the At ...

from the Late

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...

of Morocco. G. Geyer. 2015. Exotic trilobites from the Lower–Middle Cambrian boundary interval in Morocco and their bearing on the Cambrian Series 3 lower boundary. Paläontologische Zeitschrift 89:749-781 It has a single known species, ''Cambroproteus lemdadensis'', whose various features are shared with disparate groups of other ptychopariids, which make it difficult to place within other established ptychopariid families.

Etymology

The generic name translates as "Cambrian

Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus (; Ancient Greek: Πρωτεύς, ''Prōteus'') is an early prophetic sea-god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" ''(hálios gérôn)''. ...

." This is in reference to the situation of how its varied features stymy understanding of its placement within Ptychopariida, effectively making it a marine shapeshifter.

References

Arthropod enigmatic taxa Cambrian trilobites Ptychopariida Fossils of Morocco {{Ptychopariida-stub