| Mosura Temporal range: Cambrian | |
|---|---|
| |
| Life Restoration of Mosura fentoni by Danielle Dufault. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Order: | Radiodonta |
| Family: | †Hurdiidae |
| Genus: | †Mosura Moysuik & Caron, 2025 |
| Species: | †M. fentoni |
| Type species | |
| †Mosura fentoni Moysuik & Caron, 2025 | |
Mosura is an extinct genus of radiodont arthropod from the Cambrian period in British Columbia, Canada. The type and only species is named M. fentoni.
Discovery and Naming[]
Despite being described in 2025, the genus Mosura is composed of sixty specimens found across the Burgess Shale formation in Canada. The holotype (ROMIP 67995) is a complete specimen of the animal in a dorsal orientation, with other specimens being equally as complete. These fossils have been unearthed from 1990 to 2022.
In 2025, paleontologists Moysuik and Caron described the new taxon as "Mosura fentoni". The generic name is in reference to the Japanese name for the the fictional kaiju in film, "Mosura" (Mothra in English); the name reflects the radiodont's moth-like similarity. The specific name, "fentoni", honors Peter Fenton from the Royal Ontario Museum Invertebrate Paleontology branch in which the genus was described.
Description[]
Mosura was rather small, with specimens ranging from 1.5 to 6.1 centimeters, marking it as one of the smallest in the order. The head features 3 large eyes, in which two stick out from the sides with the third eye in the midline of the head facing forward. Mosura also has proportionally large gills compared to its body, indicating it took in a lot of oxygen.
Mosura is one of the few radiodonts with confirmed juvenile specimens, which can be observed with less segments. This increase in segments over time lines up with other species' ontogeny, like in Stanleycaris hirpex.
Classification[]
Mosura is housed as a basal member of the radiodont family Hurdiidae, as it shares traits with other basal hurdiids alongside non-hurdiid radiodonts, indicating it split off as its own taxon from more derived hurdiids. As of its description, it is classified as a sister taxon to all other hurdiids, with the closest genus being Schinderhannes.
Paleoecology[]
Despite its small size, Mosura is believed to have been an active predator in the water column, eating on relatively large prey.