Lepidocoleus

Lepidocoleus Temporal range: Late Ordovician–Late Devonian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Annelida
Clade:	Pleistoannelida
Subclass:	Errantia
Order:	Phyllodocida
Family:	†Lepidocoleidae
Genus:	†Lepidocoleus Faber, 1886
Species
†Lepidocoleus caliburnus †Lepidocoleus shurikenus

Lepidocoleus is a genus of extinct armored annelid worm in the class Machaeridia. Two notable species are L. caliburnus or the "Excalibur worm", and L. shurikenus, or the "shuriken worm".^[1] The creature had a "suit" of armor running down its body in the form of overlapping calcite crystals.^[1] This worm probably lived in shallow water reefs feeding on organic waste.^[2] It lived from the Hirnantian of the upper Ordovician to the Famennian of the Devonian.^[3]

The worm is tiny, only about a fraction of an inch long.^[1] The creatures had two pairs of armor plates on their body, one running the length of the skeleton, and the other on the sides of the body.^[1] Because of this, the worm probably could have rolled into a ball like a Trilobite.^[2]