Description

Dinomischus venustus Chen et al. 1989

Cambrian

Yu’ anshan Mbr., Qiongzhusi Fm.

Chengjiang China.

Extremely rare 5mm problematic organism often placed in the echinoderms on 63mm slab.

Problematica.

Dinomischus is a genus of early animal that has not been formally classified.  It appears to be similar to stalked echinoderms of the Early Paleozoic but is different enough that it may not belong to an established phylum.

Charles Walcott found one specimen in the Burgess Shale sometime in the early 1900’s but it wasn’t described until 1977 by Simon Conway Morris.  It is rare at Chengjiang as well.