A new Cambrian stem-group echinoderm reveals the evolution of the anteroposterior axis

Echinoderms are among the most morphologically distinctive animal phyla, encompassing familiar forms like starfish and sea urchins. Uncovering how their unique pentaradial body plan evolved from a bilaterally symmetrical ancestor has long proved challenging, as this involved fundamental changes to adult morphology and body plan development, associated with a complete reorganization of the anteroposterior (A-P) axis,^1,2,3 obfuscating homologies between disparate groups.^4,5 This has greatly limited our understanding of one of the most radical transformations in bilaterian evolutionary history.^6,7,8 Here, we describe a new bilaterally symmetrical echinoderm, Atlascystis acantha, from the Cambrian of Morocco.⁹ This is the oldest bilaterally symmetrical echinoderm and the first with this body plan known from different ontogenetic stages, allowing us to elucidate mechanisms of its growth. This demonstrates that Atlascystis possessed ambulacra-structures accommodating extensions of the characteristic echinoderm water vascular system-providing a clear point of homology between Atlascystis and radially symmetrical forms. By integrating the Cambrian fossil record and our new phylogeny with developmental biology,¹⁰ we uncover how changes to the ancestral bilaterian A-P patterning network alongside stepwise morphological transformations gave rise to the pentaradial structure of extant echinoderms, transforming our understanding of the origin and earliest evolution of this major animal phylum.