Plumulites
genus of annelids (fossil)
Plumulites is an extinct genus of machaeridians, an extinct annelid group.
Description
Plumulites is normally small animal, for example complete specimen of P. canadensis reached only 16.5 millimetres (0.65 in), and P. bengtsoni being 28 millimetres (1.1 in). However, several largest specimens probably reached around 15 centimetres (5.9 in), making Plumulites largest machaeridians ever known.
Fossils of Plumulites were mostly known from isolated sclerites, and originally considered as arthropod or an echinoderm. However, complete sclerite assemblages of P. richorum described in 1979 has shown that this animal is more likely to be annelid worm, the group which includes modern-day earthworm, leech and bristleworm.
According to complete specimens, this animal is surrounded by pairs of outer and interior shell plates. Some of anterior outer and interior shell plates different in shape. Specimen of P. bengtsoni shows soft tissue including parapodia and chaetae.
Taxonomy
Preservation of jaw element of P. bengtsoni leads conclusion that machaeridians should be placed within the crown group of Phyllodocida.
Species
As of 1929, more than 20 species have been described.
“Plumulites” enters the record as genus of annelids (fossil). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Plumulites, genus and annelids can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Plumulites” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Plumulites, genus and annelids 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 Mar 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7205490. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1979 and 1929.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. 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 “Plumulites” 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.