CARYOCARIS Meaning and
Definition
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Caryocaris is a genus of extinct arthropods that lived during the Early Devonian period, specifically in what is now known as the United States and China. Belonging to the group of animals called crustaceans, the genus Caryocaris is particularly significant as it represents one of the oldest known forms of crustaceans and provides crucial insight into the early evolutionary history of this group.
The name Caryocaris is derived from the Greek words "karyon," meaning nut or kernel, and "karis," meaning shrimp or lobster. This name is descriptive of the fossilized remains of Caryocaris, which resemble small, shrimp-like creatures with a hard exoskeleton.
These arthropods possessed a segmented body with a distinct head and tail section. Within their head region, Caryocaris featured a pair of large, compound eyes and appendages that were most likely used for feeding. The appendages in the tail region were specialized for swimming, suggesting that Caryocaris predominantly inhabited marine environments.
Scientists believe that Caryocaris were likely bottom dwellers, scavenging for food or preying on smaller animals in the sediment. Its relatively large size, compared to other known arthropods from the same period, suggests that Caryocaris held a significant ecological role within its ancient ecosystem.
Due to the scarcity of fossilized evidence, our understanding of Caryocaris is limited. However, the discovery of these ancient arthropods has contributed immensely to advancing our knowledge of the evolution and diversification of crustaceans on Earth.
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In geol., a small crustacean, having a long, pod-shaped, bivalved carapace.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for CARYOCARIS
- xaryocaris
- varyocaris
- faryocaris
- daryocaris
- czryocaris
- csryocaris
- cwryocaris
- cqryocaris
- caeyocaris
- cadyocaris
- cafyocaris
- catyocaris
- ca5yocaris
- ca4yocaris
- cartocaris
- cargocaris
- carhocaris
- caruocaris
- car7ocaris
- car6ocaris
Etymology of CARYOCARIS
The etymology of the word "caryocaris" can be broken down into its Greek roots. The term "caryo" comes from the Greek word "karuon", which means "nut" or "kernel". The word "caris" is derived from the Greek word "kari", which means "shrimp" or "crustacean". Hence, the combination of these two roots gives us "caryocaris", which refers to a shrimp-like creature with a hard or nut-like carapace.
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