'Lobopodia' is a taxon of poorly understood animals from the Early
Cambrian. They include animals that are segmented, have (or might have) legs, and do not fit easily into the phylum
Arthropoda. Basically, these are "worms with legs" and some things that look like their relatives. Most are regarded as related to the arthropods and possibly the
Onychophora. Depending on the author, the Lobopods might include the
anomalocarids, possibly ''
Opabinia'', and some onychophore-like forms -- ''
Xenusion'', ''
Microdictyon'', ''
Aysheaia'', ''
Onychodictyon'', ''
Paucipoda'', ''
Cardiodictyon'', ''
Luolishania'', the modern
onychophores themselves, and even the
tardigrades.
Since the species of ''
Microdictyon'' have
scleritic scales, some authors might include the several other forms from Early
Cambrian time that have
sclerites.
The known lobopods are fair-sized to large (2 cm up) animals that are largely free-swimming or mobile. To the extent that they are known, many appear to be
predators. Little is known about their growth, lifestyle, or relationship to other early lifeforms.
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The name lobopodia is also used for lobose
pseudopods, found among certain
amoeboids.