Tamisiocarididae

Tamisiocarididae is an extinct family of Cambrian radiodonts known for species with specialized frontal appendages used to capture plankton and other small organisms.

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Radiodonta: Radiodonta is an extinct group of stem-group arthropods from the Cambrian and later periods, including Anomalocaris. Tamisiocarididae is classified within this broader group of early arthropod relatives.
Suspension feeding: Suspension feeding is the capture of food particles carried in water or air. Long, closely spaced spines on some frontal appendages could strain small prey from seawater.
Tamisiocaris: Tamisiocaris is a Cambrian radiodont genus known for long frontal appendages bearing dense arrays of fine spines. It is the best-known example used to identify the family with filter feeding.
Radiodont phylogeny: Radiodont phylogeny is the study of evolutionary relationships among radiodont genera and species. Those relationships determine which taxa belong with Tamisiocaris in this family.
Cambrian: The Cambrian is a geological period spanning roughly 539 to 485 million years ago. The family's known members lived during this period of early animal diversification.
Frontal appendage: A frontal appendage is a paired, specialized head limb found in radiodonts and some other arthropods. Its fine-spined form is the family's key adaptation for collecting small food items.
Aegirocassis: Aegirocassis is a large Ordovician radiodont with paired dorsal and ventral flaps and filtering appendages. Its later filter-feeding form illustrates the broader evolution of suspension feeding among radiodonts.
Fossil taphonomy: Fossil taphonomy studies the processes that affect remains between death and discovery. Preservation can obscure the small structures needed to identify filtering appendages and compare species.
Anomalocaris: Anomalocaris is a genus of Cambrian radiodonts with grasping frontal appendages and a large circular mouth. It provides a familiar comparison for the markedly different feeding appendages of tamisiocaridids.
Plankton: Plankton are organisms that drift in water and cannot swim effectively against currents. Small planktonic organisms are among the proposed food sources captured by tamisiocaridid filters.