''Inquicus fellatus'' is an extinct, bowling pin-shaped worm from the

Chengjiang Biota The Maotianshan Shales are a series of Early Cambrian deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation, famous for their '' Konservat Lagerstätten'', deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organisms or traces. The Maotianshan Shales ...

, in what was once a marine environment from Early Cambrian

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

province. Its fossils are found attached to fossils of the worms ''

Cricocosmia ''Cricocosmia'' is a genus of palaeoscolecid worm from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota. Fossils of prehistoric ''Cricocosmia'' species were found in the Cambrian period Maotianshan Shale geologic formation in China China, official ...

'' and '' Mafangscolex'' in either a parasitic or commensalistic relationship.

Description

''Inquicus'' individuals were up to three centimeters long, shaped like a bowling pin with an elongated body that tapered to a slightly bulbous head. They attached their bottom ends to their hosts, with their feeding appendages facing outwards and away from their hosts' bodies.

Behavior

Although ''Inquicus'' attached to host worms, it is unlikely that the relationship was directly parasitic. The attachment point of ''Inquicus'' did not penetrate the skin of the hosts, but rather attached through suction. The species also was stiff, with there being no evidence that it could bend its mouth backwards to feed on the host. It is more likely that they simply rode on their hosts while browsing for food, or used them as a form of locomotion.

References

{{Reflist Maotianshan shales fossils Enigmatic animal taxa Fossil taxa described in 2017 Cambrian genus extinctions