Abstract
Members of the Onychophora have long been recognised for their significance in evolutionary studies. The current consensus supports the view that they represent a sister group to the monophyletic Arthropoda. Here we present a picture of an extensive radiation of marine Cambrian lobopods whose evolution onto land has been confined to a single lineage of cylindrical, soft-bodied forms equipped with stumpy, but extensible, clawed limbs, well-adapted to the world of moist crevices created by decaying vegetation. This, together with their unique method of prey capture, may account for their persistence to the present day. Further, they display extensive diversity in some aspects of their reproductive biology. -from Authors
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 21-30 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Memoir - Association of Australasian Palaeontologists |
| Volume | 18 |
| Publication status | Published - 1995 |