''Mummaspis'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

from a well-known class of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

marine

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, the

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three-lobed entities") are extinction, extinct marine arthropods that form the class (biology), class Trilobita. One of the earliest groups of arthropods to appear in the fossil record, trilobites were among the most succ ...

s, with five known species. It lived during the early part of the

Botomian Cambrian Stage 4 is the still unnamed fourth stage of the Cambrian and the upper stage of Cambrian Series 2. It follows Cambrian Stage 3 and lies below the Wuliuan. The lower boundary has not been formally defined by the International Commission ...

stage, which lasted from approximately 524 to 518.5 million years ago. This faunal stage was part of the

Cambrian Period The Cambrian ( ) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 51.95 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran period 538.8 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Ordovici ...

Taxonomy

''Mummaspis'' is the genus closest to the common ancestor of ''Laudonia'', the

Biceratopsinae The Biceratopsinae is an extinct subfamily of redlichiid trilobites within the family Biceratopsidae, with species of small to average size. Species belonging to this subfamily lived during the Toyonian stage (Upper ''Olenellus''-zone), 516-51 ...

and the

Bristoliinae The Bristoliinae is an extinct subfamily of trilobites, fossil marine arthropods, with species of small to average size. Species belonging to this subfamily lived during the Botomian and Toyonian stage (''Olenellus''-zone), 522-513 million years ...

. Including the species of ''Fritzolenellus'', this

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

is the sister group of ''

Wanneria ''Wanneria'' is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the later part of the Botomian stage, which lasted from approximately 524 to 518.5 million years ago. This faunal stage was par ...

walcottana'' and the

Holmiidae Holmiidae is a family of trilobites, that lived during the Lower Cambrian (Atdabanian). The Holmiidae is a diverse family of eight genera containing at least 17 species. It includes some of the earliest trilobites of Baltica. Holmiidae occur thro ...

Distribution

* ''M. occidens'' was collected in the Lower Cambrian ( lower ''Olenellus''-zone) of Alberta, Canada (Mural Formation, in the talus slope immediately west of Mumm Peak, and from the middle Mural Formation, 125 m above the base of that formation, just north of the

Mount Robson Provincial Park Mount Robson Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian Rockies with an area of 2,249 km. The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park in Alberta. The B.C. legislature created the park in 191 ...

boundary). * ''M. truncatooculatus'' occurs in the Lower Cambrian (lower ''Olenellus''-zone) of Alberta, Canada (Mural Formation, in the talus slope immediately west of Mumm Peak, and from the middle Mural Formation, 125 m above the base of that formation, just north of the Mount Robson Provincial Park boundary). * ''M. oblisooculatus'' is found in the Lower Cambrian (Lower ''Olenellus''-zone) of Alberta, Canada (Mural Formation, in the talus slope immediately west of Mumm Peak, and from the middle Mural Formation, 125 m above the base of that formation, just north of the Mount Robson Provincial Park boundary). * ''M. muralensis'' is present in the Lower Cambrian (Lower ''Olenellus''-zone) of Alberta, Canada (Mural Formation, in the talus slope immediately west of Mumm Peak, and from the middle Mural Formation, 125 m above the base of that formation, just north of the Mount Robson Provincial Park boundary). * ''M. macer'' was extracted from the Lower Cambrian of Pennsylvania ( middle Upper ''Olenellus''-zone) (Kinzers Formation, 2 miles North of York, from Fruitville, 3 miles North of Lancaster, and ½ mile South of East-Petersburg.

References

Cambrian trilobites Cambrian trilobites of North America Paleozoic life of Alberta Olenelloidea Cambrian genus extinctions {{Redlichiida-stub