Scalidophora: Loricifera

Light microscopy image of the undescribed species of Spinoloricus (Loricifera; stained with Rose Bengal). Scale bar is 50 µm. From Danovaro et al 2010, via Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

The Loricifera are one of several newly discovered and still rather obscure phyla of mostly microscopic marine invertebrates consisting of only a handful of species. They may or may not be minaturised descendents of larger Cambrian forms such as Sirilorica carlsbergi, a wormlike burrowing animal which may be close to the common ancestor of loricates and priapulids (Peel, 2010), hinting at a greater diversity and ecological importance for this group during the early Paleozoic. In the last few years, the discovery of three-dimensional "Orsten"-like fossil Loricate larvae from the Middle Cambrian limestone of northern Australia (near Mt Isa, Queensland) have pushed back the antiquity of the group (Maas et al 2009). Several extant species are unique among metazoa in being able to live entirely in an anearobic (oxygen-free) environment. MAK120420

Links: Loriciferans - Encyclopedia of Life; Loricifera - Wikipedia; Loricifera: Larger life without oxygen; Loricifera - Wired Science; Loricifera - Tree of Life project MAK120416