Ponticulocarpus robinsoni

Ponticulocarpus robinsoni/em>, is a newly described genus and species of cornute-grade stylophoran, an extinct group of unusual Cambrian echinoderms. Four specimens of this creature were discovered in the Middle Cambrian Spence Shale of northern Utah. Notably, Ponticulocarpus possesses wide and thin spinal and glossal processes, which paleontologists interpret as an adaptation for "snowshoeing" across a soft, likely muddy, substrate. This unique feature, along with the presence of a posterior bar across the inferior theca, distinguishes Ponticulocarpus from other known cornutes and provides further insight into the diversity and adaptations of early echinoderms.