Alternative interpretations of some earliest Ediacaran fossils from China

• Autorzy: Van Iten H. , Leme J. M. , Marques A. C. , Simoes M. G.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

In a letter to Nature (February, 2011), Xunlai Yuan and col− laborators recorded carbon compression fossils from black shales of the Lantian Formation (Ediacaran), southern Anhui Province, South China. The new fossils, described under five morphological types (Types A to E), exhibit de− grees of morphological differentiation suggesting that they were multicellular eukaryotes. Some of the Lantian macro− fossils were interpreted as algae, but others are of unknown affinities. For reasons noted in this discussion, Type A fossils attracted our particular attention, and we suggest an alter− native interpretation of their affinities. According to our view, some of them (at least those with three faces and no globose holdfast at their base) may represent conulariid cni− darians or close medusozoan relatives. The undistorted or− ganism probably was a three−sided cone in life. We believe that our suggested alternative interpretations of the anat− omy and affinities of the fossils in question can be useful in guiding future research on the oldest currently known fossil assemblage of multicellular organisms.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

alternative interpretation; Earliest Ediacaran; Ediacaran; fossil; conulariid; evolution; China

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
• Rocznik: 2013
• Tom: 58
• Numer: 1
• Opis fizyczny: p.111-113,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Van Iten H.

• Department of Geology, Hanover College, Hanover, IN 47243, USA

autor

Leme J. M.

• Department of Sedimentary and Environmental Geology, University of Sao Paulo, 05580-080, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

autor

Marques A. C.

• Department of Zoology,University of Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao, Travessa 14, 101, 05508-090, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

autor

Simoes M. G.

• Department of Zoology, Sao Paulo State University, 18.618-000, Botucatu, SP, Brazil

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