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Taxonomy from Fossilworks,org. Preliminarily determined by Prof. Dr. Joachim Reitner, Departement of Geobiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen as Vauxiidae (a publication is intended). References: Walcott, C. D. (1920). Middle Cambrian Spongiae. Cambrian Geology and Paleontology IV. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 67(6): 261-365. Luo, C., Zhao, F., & Zeng, H. (2020). The first report of a vauxiid sponge from the Cambrian Chengjiang Biota. Journal of Paleontology, 94(1), 28-33. doi:10.1017/jpa.2019.52 Luo, C., Yang, A., Zhuravlev, A. Y., & Reitner, J. (2021). Vauxiids as descendants of archaeocyaths: a hypothesis. Lethaia, https://doi.org/10.1111/let.12433. Wei, F., Zhou, Y., Chen, A., Hou, X. and Cong, P. (2021). New vauxiid sponges from the Chengjiang Biota and their evolutionary significance. Journal of the Geological Society, Volume 178, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2020-162

Taxonomy from Mindat.org. Diagnosis (Finks & Rigby 2004, p. 28): “Sack-shaped to globular or globose sponges with thin walls of principally vertical, subparallel, monaxial spicules that form tracts around circular canals of at least two sizes; gastral layer a vertical, monaxial thatch that is less perforate; skeleton with weakly developed tufts; marginalia or prostalia absent”. References: Rigby, J. K. and Collins, D. (2004). Sponges of the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale and Stephen Formations, British Columbia. Royal Ontario Museum Contributions in Science 1:1-155. Finks, R.M. & Rigby, J.K. (2004). Paleozoic Demosponges, 9–175. In KAESLER, R.C. (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Part E, Vol. 3 (revised). Porifera (Demospongea, Hexactinellida, Heteractinida, Calcarea). 902 pp. Geological Society of America, Kansas. Wang, P.-li.; Zhao, Y.-long.; Yang, X.-lian.; Yang, R.-jun. (2005), Crumillospongia biporosa (sponge) from the early Cambrian Niutitang biota in Guizhou Province. Acta Micropalaeontologica Sinica 22(2): 196-201. GARCÍA-BELLIDO, D.C., DIES ÁLVAREZ, M.E., GÁMEZ VINTANED, J.A., LIÑÁN, E. & GOZALO, R. (2011). First report of Crumillospongia (Demospongea) from the Cambrian of Europe (Murero biota, Spain). Bulletin of Geosciences 86(3), 641–650 (5 figures, 1 table). Czech Geological Survey, Prague. ISSN 1214-1119. Zhao, Jun; Li, Yujing; Selden, Paul A.; Cong, Peiyun (2020). New occurrence of the Guanshan Lagerstätte (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4) in the Kunming area, Yunnan, southwest China, with records of new taxa. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, (), 1–13.

Taxonomy according to fossilworks.org Vannier et al. 2006 assume that Tuzoia and the also Cambrian genus Isoxys are possibly representatives of the class Thylacocephala. The fossil probably shows rare soft part preservation of the frontal appendages and the stalked eyes. Emmended diagnosis for the genus Isoxys by Garcia-Bellido 2009, p. 1224: ”Arthropod with one pair of cephalic appendages and a uniform series of at least 13 pairs of biramous appendages. Long, narrow body covered almost entirely by a bivalved, very thin unmineralized carapace. Prominent, stalked, spherical to pear-shaped lateral eyes protrude beyond the anterior margin of the carapace. Each valve armed with prominent cardinal spines. Dorsal outline straight or slightly projecting to form a weak to well-developed cusp (small circular node may be present below this cusp) anterior of mid-length. Ventral outline semicircular, weakly preplete (valve is highest anterior to its mid-length) to postplete (highest posterior to its mid-length). Simple perimarginal features (very narrow to more inflated rim). No flattened ⁄ concave marginal features. Narrow to broad doublure may be present. Carapace folded along the dorsal line (valves conjoined by a narrow band of cuticle; absence of articulating hinge). Internally, midgut glands may be present. External ornament may be expressed as uniform micro-reticulation or longitudinal striae. (Modified from Vannier and Chen 2000, p. 311)." Line drawing from Huang et al. 2014: Identified by oilshale using Huang et al. 2014. References: Garcia-Bellido, D.C., Paterson, J.R., Edgecombe, G.D., Jago, J.B., Gehling, J.G. and Lee, M.S.Y. (2009). The bivalved arthropods Isoxys and Tuzoia with soft-part preservation from the Lower Cambrian Emu Bay Shale Lagerstätte (Kangaroo Island, Australia). Palaeontology, 52: 1221-1241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00914.x Huang, D.Y., Wang, Y.N. (2014). The soft anatomy of Isoxys minor from the Guanshan fauna, lower Cambrian of Southwest China. Palaeoworld. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2014.10.006 Hu, S.X., Zhu, M.Y., Luo, H.L., Steiner, M., Zhao, F.C., Li, G.X., Liu, Q., Zhang, Z.F. (2014). The Guanshan Biota. Yunnan Science and Technology Press, Kunming, 204 pp. (in Chinese, with English summary). H.-L. Luo, L. Yong, S.-X. Hu, X.-P. Fu, S.-Q. Hou, X.-Y. Liu, L.-Z. Chen, F.-J. Li, J.-Y. Pang and Q. Liu. (2008). Early Cambrian Malong Fauna and Guanshan Fauna from Eastern Yunnan, China 1-134. Vannier, J. and Chen, J.Y. (2000). The Early Cambrian colonization of pelagic niches exemplified by Isoxys (arthropoda). Lethaia 33, 295–311. Vannier, J., Chen, J.-Y., Huang, D.-Y. and Wang, X.-Q. (2006). Thylacocephalan arthropods: Their early Cambrian origin and evolutionary significance. Acta Paleontologica Polonica, 51:201–214.