Liwia
genus of arthropods (fossil)
Liwia is a genus of nektaspid of the family Liwiidae from the Early Cambrian. It includes the species Liwia plana and Liwia convexa, both known from borehole samples several kilometers in depth from the Zawiszyn Formation in Poland, which has also yielded Peytoia infercambriensis.
Discovery and naming
The holotype of fossil of Liwia was found from the Zawiszyn Formation of Poland. It was described in 1975.
The original generic name Livia is derived from the name of the Liwiec River, near to where the fossils were found, although as this generic name was already preoccupied, in 1988 it was changed to Liwia.
The specific name for L. convexa derives directly from the Latin word convexa, to mean "rounded", relating to the curved appearance of the pygidium; whilst the specific name for L. plana derives directly from the Latin word plana, to mean "flat", relating the overall flatness of this species.
Description
Liwia is a member of the order nektaspida, and the namesake of the Liwiidae family, growing to around 20–30 mm (0.8–1.2 in) in length, with the longer, incomplete species being L. convexa; and the shorter, more complete species being L. plana.
Liwia had an oval shaped cephalon, with four thoracic segments, and a distinctive spiked pygidium, which had six pairs of rear-facing spines, with the three anterior spines being shorter, whilst the three posterior spines are longer.
The public source identifies “Liwia” as genus of arthropods (fossil). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Liwia, genus and arthropods.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Liwia”, the useful work is to connect “genus of arthropods (fossil)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6659925. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1975 and 1988.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Liwia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.