''Camptophyllia'' is a genus of small to average size

arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...

s () of uncertain affiliation, that lived during the

Upper Carboniferous Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found f ...

in what is today England. It has been found exclusively in coal deposits. It is only known from its

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs, in contrast to an internal endoskeleton (e.g. human skeleton, that ...

. What is known of the anatomy is reminiscent of a woodlouse (or onisciform) with 10 segments, each split by two furrows in a midsection, two lateral sections, and it also has two lateral plates. There is no clear distinction between body parts (or tagmata) such as head, trunk and tail, although the frontal segment is rounded anteriorly, and the posterior segments become narrower, the final one ending rounded with a small backward directed spine. Each segment overlaps the front of the following one. There is one median node or spine and two lateral nodes or spines on every segment. ''Camptophyllia'' is known from 11 fossils. Associated trace fossils suggest that the living animal was a deposit feeder. The fossil bodies were associated with trackway and there was a muddy siltstone which concludes that they deposited in a lacustrine environment.Hansman, R. H. Camptophyllia from the Lower Coal Measures of Lancashire. Journal of Paleontology,(1972),46(2).

Distribution

''C. eltringhami'' is known from the Upper Carboniferous of England ( Westphalian A = Moscovian, Crock Hey, Wigan, Greater Manchester; Coseley, Dudley, West Midlands; Westhoughton, Lancashire; Sparth Bottoms, Lancashire; and Westphalian B = Kasimovian, Tyne Coalfield, Crawcrook, Durham).

References

Enigmatic arthropod taxa Prehistoric arthropod genera Fossils of Great Britain Carboniferous arthropods {{Paleo-arthropod-stub