Vermontcaris

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Vermontcaris montcalmi is an extinct bivalved arthropod from the Cambrian period. It lived during Cambrian Stage 4, and its fossils were found in the Parker Slate lagerstätte in Vermont. The genus name honors the state, and the species name Montcalmi honors the Montcalm family, who owned the land where the fossils were discovered. It was described in 2022 by Pari and colleagues and is thought to be a member of the odaraiid group.

Vermontcaris had a head with eyes on stalks, a large two-valved carapace, and a long thorax with about 30 to 37 segments, each bearing at least one pair of biramous limbs. The abdomen consisted of 4–5 segments without limbs and ended in a telson with leaf-shaped structures on either side. The only species in the genus is V. montcalmi. Other organisms found at the Parker Slate site include Fuxianospira gyrata, Leptomitus zitteli, Protocaris marshi, Tuzoia polleni, and Emmonsaspis cambrensis.