CaronMoysiukRcode.R from A giant nektobenthic radiodont from the Burgess Shale and the significance of hurdiid carapace diversity

Radiodonts, stem-group euarthropods that evolved during the Cambrian explosion, were among the largest and most diversified lower palaeozoic predators. These animals were widespread geographically, occupying a variety of ecological niches, from benthic foragers to nektonic suspension feeders and apex predators. Here, we describe the largest Cambrian hurdiid radiodont known so far, <i>Titanokorys gainesi</i>, gen. et sp. nov., from the Burgess Shale (Marble Canyon, Kootenay National Park, British Columbia). Estimated to reach half-a-meter in length, this new species bears a very large ovoid-shaped central carapace with distinct short posterolateral processes and an anterior spine. Geometric morphometric analyses highlight the high diversity of carapace shapes in hurdiids and show that <i>Titanokorys</i> bridges a morphological gap between forms with long and short carapaces. Carapace shape, however, is prone to homoplasy and shows no consistent relationship with trophic ecology, as demonstrated by new data, including a reappraisal of the poorly known <i>Pahvantia</i>. Despite distinct carapaces, <i>Titanokorys</i> shares similar rake-like appendages for sediment-sifting with <i>Cambroraster,</i> a smaller but much more abundant sympatric hurdiid from the Burgess Shale<i>.</i> The co-occurrence of these two species on the same bedding planes highlights the potential competition for benthic resources and the high diversity of large predators sustained by Cambrian communities.