Naraoia
genus of Nektaspida arthropod (fossil)
Naraoia is a genus of small-to-average-size (about 2–4.5 cm [0.8–1.8 in] long) marine arthropods within the family Naraoiidae, that lived from the early Cambrian to the late Silurian period. The species are characterized by a large alimentary system and sideways oriented antennas.
Etymology
The name is derived from Narao, the name of a group of small lakes in Cataract Brook canyon, above Hector on the Canadian Pacific Railway, British Columbia, Canada.
History of the classification
When the fossil was first discovered in Canada's Burgess Shale, it was believed to be a crustacean, such was the difference between this and other trilobites. Its continuous shield hid most of its structure, interfering with proper classification. When Harry B. Whittington began dissecting some specimens (Naraoia was among the most populous of the Burgess Shale animals), he discovered that the legs (and gills) of the beasts were very similar, if not identical to those of trilobites, thus the current placement of Naraoia in class Trilobita. Misszhouia longicaudata was formerly considered a member of the genus Naraoia, originally known as N. longicaudata, until separated in 1997.
Description
Naraoia is almost flat (dorso-ventrally). The upper (or dorsal) side of the body consists of a non-calcified transversely oval or semi-circular headshield (cephalon), and a tailshield (pygidium) longer than the cephalon, without any body segments in between. The body is narrowed at the articulation between cephalon and pygidium.
“Naraoia” enters the record as genus of Nektaspida arthropod (fossil). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Naraoia, genus and Nektaspida can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Naraoia” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Naraoia, genus and Nektaspida provides the most credible route into that argument.
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 Apr 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q283508. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1997.
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This entry incorporates text from “Naraoia” 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.