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Hydrozoan-Like Ediacaran Fossils from South China 华南伊迪卡拉纪类水母化石新发现

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Hydrozoan-Like Ediacaran Fossils from South China 华南伊迪卡拉纪类水母化石新发现 第 35 卷 第 1 期 地 质 通 报 Vol.35,No.1 2016 年 1 月 GEOLOGICAL BULLETIN OF CHINA Jan.,2016 Hydrozoan-like Ediacaran fossils from South China 华南伊迪卡拉纪类水母化石新发现 TANG Feng1,2, ZHONG Ling3, JIN Xingsheng4, GUO Donghui5, YIN Chongyu1,2 唐 烽 1,2，钟 玲 3，金幸生 4，郭东辉 5，尹崇玉 1,2 1.国土资源部地层与古生物重点实验室，北京 100037； 2.中国地质科学院地质研究所，北京 100037； 3.四川省博物院，四川 成都 610071； 4.浙江省自然历史博物馆，浙江 杭州 310014； 5.厦门大学海洋环境科学学院，福建 厦门 361005 1. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China; 2. Key Laboratory of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Beijing 100037, China; 3. Sichuan Museum, Chengdu 610071, Sichuan, China; 4. Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; 5. College of Oceanography & Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China Tang F, Zhong L, Jin X S, Guo D H, Yin C Y. Hydrozoan-like Ediacaran fossils from South China. Geological Bulletin of China, 2015, 35(1):1-9 Abstract: An abundant and diversified assemblage of benthic fossils from the Ediacaran Doushantuo black shales in the Wenghui sec⁃ tion of Guizhou Province contains two discoidal carbonaceous forms, Kullingia rotadiscopsis sp. nov. and Eoaequorea xingi gen. & sp. nov. The fossils have well-preserved concentric rings and radiating lines, and resemble many circular casts and moulds in Edia⁃ caran clastic and carbonate rocks in the world, such as Aspidella, Ediacaria, Cyclomedusa, Eoporpita, Ovatoscutum, Spriggia and Kull⁃ ingia. The Doushantuo carbonaceous macrofossils help us to inquire into the current functional identifications of circular disks as the holdfasts of unknown organism or scratch circles. Although there is not sufficient correspondence in morphology to warrant reinter⁃ preting all previously described Kullingia and Aspidella form-genus-type structures, these carbonaceous compressions are prone to be the ancestor of pelagic jellyfish-like organisms with medusoid hydrozoan affinity. Key words: Ediacara; discoidal macrofossils; South China; medusoid organisms 摘要：华南黔东北地区伊迪卡拉系陡山沱组黑色页岩中产出丰富多样的海相底栖宏体化石组合，其中包含2个新属种Kullingia rotadiscopsis sp. nov. 和 Eoaequorea xingi gen. & sp. nov.。新类别具有保存清晰的碳质同心环纹和辐射状纹饰，形态上相似于国外 广泛分布在碎屑岩和碳酸盐岩中的伊迪卡拉纪典型的圆盘状化石，例如Aspidella, Ediacaria, Cyclomedusa, Eoporpita, Ovatoscutum, Spriggia, Kullingia等。上述化石在国外几乎都保存为印痕，近年来多被解释为不明亲缘底栖生物的圆形固着痕迹或抓痕、圆环状 扫痕等，华南陡山沱组碳质压膜保存的圆盘状宏体化石显然不支持该解释。目前，还没有充分的证据表明华南新发现的碳膜化石 与国外形态类似的印痕化石如Kullingia和Aspidella具有相同的亲缘关系，但支持将华南化石归属为可能最早的浮游型水螅水母。 关键词：伊迪卡拉纪；圆盘状宏体化石；华南；似水母生物 中图分类号：P534.41；Q915.2 文献标志码：A 文章编号：1671-2552（2016）01-0001-09 Received on December 9, 2014；accepted on July 1, 2015; published on Junuary 15, 2016 This project supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (No.41172002, 41162003, 41572024) and the China Geology Survey (No.1212011120140-1) Author: TANG Feng(1965- ), male, Ph.D, Professor. E-mail: [email protected] 2 地 质 通 报 GEOLOGICAL BULLETIN OF CHINA 2016 年 caran fronds, such as Charniodiscus with Charnia. 1 Introduction They have even been interpreted as marine fungi or Discoidal carbonaceous compressions are compara⁃ microbial mats[17- 18], as well as trace fossils[19- 20]. Disk- tively rare in the black shales of the Ediacaran/Sinian like concentric grooves and ridges have rather been Doushantuo Formation, South China, with the excep⁃ explained as tool marks or scratch circles formed by tion of the mass- buried Beltanelliformis[1] reported current rotation of benthic pennatulids or tube-form⁃ previously[2]. They are, however, abundant in many ing animals (e.g., sabelliditids)[21]. Ediacara deposits in Newfoundland, England, Austra⁃ This paper reports carbonaceous compressions lia, Canada, Russia, India and other European areas- with well- preserved concentric and radial structures discoidal imprint macrofossils occur rather frequently (Plate Ⅰ, Ⅱ) from the Late Ediacaran Doushantuo as moulds and casts in coarse siliclastic and carbonate shales in Southern China. The compressions show sediments. The wide distribution and diversity of close resemblance to the discoidal Ediacaran imprint these forms has led to different views and interpreta⁃ fossils. The fossils are interpreted at least in part to tions of their phylogeny and ecology[3- 7]. Their con⁃ possibly represent free- swimming soft- bodied ma⁃ centric and radial grooves and ridges originally result⁃ rine animals with discoidal or medusoidal outlines. ed in allocation to planktonic medusoid cnidarians[8-9], The identical fossiliferous beds in the Doushantuo but later many palaeontologists[3,10- 16] interpreted them Formation also bear abundant tentacle- like carbona⁃ as attachment structures of benthic frondose organ⁃ ceous compressions (Fig.1- a,b), which implies the isms because of the preservation of a holdfast- stalk previous proposals of medusoid affinity of the Edia⁃ continuum or some discoidal fossils with typical Edia⁃ caran discoidal macrofossils. PlateⅠ a. holotype of Kullingia rotadiscopsis, M; b. sketching image of a; c. counterpart of a, ZMNH M10072 ; d~f. close up of a and c, noted the perfect concentric ribbons (d) in the upper part of a, the uncertain neckline structures (e) in the right part of a and the central part of c (f). The minimum scale is 1mm. cr—carbonaceous ring; az—axis-like zone; n—notch; h—hollow 第 35 卷 第 1 期 TANG Feng et al: Hydrozoan-like Ediacaran fossils from South China 3 Etymology:The generic name derives from eos, 2 Results dawn, and Aequorea, a modern genus of hydrozoan 2.1 Systematic palaeontology medusae. The specific name is dedicated to Professor Phylum Cnidaria Yusheng Xing, Feng Tang’s Ph.D. teacher in CAGS Class Hydrozoa (Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing). Order and Family ? uncertain Material：Two separate specimens in part and Genus Kullingia Glaessner, 1974 counterpart, one nearly complete disc and the other New species Kullingia rotadiscopsis sp. nov. with the central area abraded away. Specimen num⁃ (Plate Ⅰ-a~f ) bers: ZMNH M10073,M10074. Etymology: The specific name derives from Type species：Eoaequorea xingi sp. nov. rota, wheel, discus disk, and -opsis, like. The name al⁃ Generic diagnosis：Disc flat, circular to sub-cir⁃ ludes directly to the similarity with the Cambrian cular, with numerous straight, simple and unbranched Chengjiang genus Rotadiscus Sun and Hou[22], 1987. radial striations from center to fringe, distinct concen⁃ Material: One nearly complete disc in part and tric rings and finer annular lines. counterpart. Specimen number: ZMNH M10072 Holotype Plate Ⅱ- b, c; Number: ZMNH (Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, Hangzhou, M10074. China). Horizon and locality：Ediacaran, Doushantuo Holotype Plate I-a, c. Formation, layer 13; Wenghui, Jiangkou, Guizhou, Horizon and locality: Ediacaran, Doushantuo China. Formation, layer 13; Wenghui, Jiangkou, Guizhou, Description：Disc flat, circular to sub- circular, China. about 2-3 cm in diameter; carbonaceous radial stria⁃ Diagnostic: Disc large, radially symmetric, with⁃ tions, numerous, straight and unbranched, from center out radial canals or striations, and with concentric car⁃ to fringe, spaced at most 1.3 mm in the outmost part bonaceous ribbon-like rings. but often much closer together in peripheral zone Description: Circular to ovoid in shape, about (Plate Ⅱ-a,b); 3-6 carbonaceous concentric ringscon⁃ 5.3 cm in maximum diameter; up to 25 concentric tained respectively in three zones(Plate Ⅱ- b,h) or carbonaceous rings from centre to fringe; showing de⁃ wrinkles, irregular and incomplete in the outer part, centralized slightly on outer part and ca.1.7- 2.0 mm darker on peripheral margins; inconspicuous and fine between each circle(Plate Ⅰ-d), whereas on the cen⁃ annular lines in the inner half showing partially cob⁃ tral part relatively dense(Plate Ⅰ- f). Rounded shape web-like structure(Plate Ⅱ-a,e,f) together with circu⁃ interrupted by a small uncertain neckline- like notch lar and radial striations; black carbonaceous ring about on one outer side showing about 3 ribbons sinuous 1-1.6 mm wide in center of disc with a 1.2 mm hol⁃ and closed (Plate Ⅰ-a,b,e). A black, not readily appar⁃ low(Plate Ⅱ-h) lacking carbonaceous film. ent axis-like zone about 2 mm wide extends through 2.2 Comparison with other taxa the center on the surface of the disc possibly due to ev⁃ (1) Kullingia rotadiscopsis ery concentric ribbons thicken. Kullingia is a circular imprint disk with sets of Phylum Cnidaria concentric rings from Late Ediacaran to Early Cambri⁃ Class Hydrozoa an of South Australia, Newfoundland, Ukraine and Order and family uncertain northern Sweden. It was initially interpreted as a chon⁃ New genus and species Eoaequorea xingi gen. drophorine hydrozoan[23], but is currently thought to and sp. nov. be a scratch circle, possibly of an anchored, tubular or⁃ (Plate Ⅱ-a~e) ganism[21]. Regular and dense concentric lines, and 4 地 质 通 报 GEOLOGICAL BULLETIN OF CHINA 2016 年 Plate Ⅱ a. paratype of Eoaequorea Xingi, ZMNH M10073, noted the black central ring with some abrasion; b. field photograph of c; c. holotype of Eoaequorea Xingi, ZMNH M10074; d. counterpart of a; e. right-upper close up of a; f,h. sketching images of a and c; g. holdfast of macroscopic algae fossils, ZMNH M10075. The minimum scale is 1mm. rs—radial striation; oz—outer zone; mz—middle zone; pz—peripheral zone; cr—carbonaceous ring; cz—central zone; h—hollow; cs—cobweb-like structure lack of radial ones, can be seen on the rounded carbo⁃ apparently has three concentric zones[13,24]. Ovatoscu⁃ naceous film described here as K. rotadiscopsis. It is tum in the Rawnsley Quartzite,
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