The Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte: a View of Cambrian Life from East Gondwanajohn R

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte: a View of Cambrian Life from East Gondwanajohn R XXX10.1144/jgs2015-083J. R. Paterson et al.Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte 2015 Downloaded from http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on October 2, 2021 2015-083review-articleReview focus10.1144/jgs2015-083The Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte: a view of Cambrian life from East GondwanaJohn R. Paterson, Diego C. García-Bellido, James B. Jago, James G. Gehling, Michael S.Y. Lee &, Gregory D. Edgecombe Review focus Journal of the Geological Society Published Online First doi:10.1144/jgs2015-083 The Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte: a view of Cambrian life from East Gondwana John R. Paterson1*, Diego C. García-Bellido2, 3, James B. Jago4, James G. Gehling2, 3, Michael S.Y. Lee2, 3 & Gregory D. Edgecombe5 1 Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia 2 School of Biological Sciences & Environment Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia 3 Earth Sciences Section, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia 4 School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia 5 Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Recent fossil discoveries from the lower Cambrian Emu Bay Shale (EBS) on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, have provided critical insights into the tempo of the Cambrian explosion of animals, such as the origin and seemingly rapid evolution of arthropod compound eyes, as well as extending the geographical ranges of several groups to the East Gondwa- nan margin, supporting close faunal affinities with South China. The EBS also holds great potential for broadening knowl- edge on taphonomic pathways involved in the exceptional preservation of fossils in Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten. EBS fossils display a range of taphonomic modes for a variety of soft tissues, especially phosphatization and pyritization, in some cases recording a level of anatomical detail that is absent from most Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten. Received 1 July 2015; revised 2 September 2015; accepted 16 September 2015 The lower Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4) Emu Bay Shale (EBS) dailyi and Redlichia takooensis (Jell in Bengtson et al. 1990; Jago Konservat-Lagerstätte (Fig. 1) provides important information et al. 2006; Paterson & Brock 2007; Paterson et al. 2008). This regarding the composition of early animal communities and a win- equates to the Canglangpuan Stage (= upper Nangaoan–lower dow on the Cambrian radiation in Gondwana. One of the most Duyunian stages) of South China and the middle–upper Botoman intriguing aspects of the EBS is that although it yields a biota that of Siberia (Paterson & Brock 2007; Peng et al. 2012; Landing is taxonomically similar to Cambrian Burgess Shale-type biotas et al. 2013). Based on the calibrated 2012 Geologic Time Scale, (Paterson et al. 2008), its nearshore depositional setting (Gehling the numerical age of the EBS is 514 ± 1 Ma (see Peng et al. 2012, et al. 2011) and disparate preservation styles (e.g. Briggs & Nedin fig. 19.3). The EBS is approximately coeval with the Balang and 1997; Lee et al. 2011; Paterson et al. 2011) are at odds with our Guanshan biotas of China, but younger than the Chengjiang and current understanding of typical Burgess Shale-type deposits and Sirius Passet Lagerstätten (Peng et al. 2012). their associated taphonomic pathways and signatures (Gaines et al. The EBS is exposed in two areas of the northeastern coast of 2008, 2012b). This has led Gaines (2014) to explicitly exclude the Kangaroo Island: (1) the type section on the western side of Emu Bay EBS from the global list of more than 50 known Burgess Shale- (Daily et al. 1980); (2) Big Gully, to the east of Emu Bay (Fig. 1; type deposits, pending detailed comparative study. Gehling et al. 2011); it is only the latter site that hosts the Shelly fossils were first discovered in the EBS at Emu Bay Konservat-Lagerstätte. At Big Gully, the EBS unconformably in 1952 by Reginald Sprigg. In 1954, Brian Daily found large spec- overlies the Marsden Sandstone, a coarsening upward package of imens of the trilobite Redlichia in the EBS at Big Gully, east of Emu clastic sediments deposited in a shallow subtidal to shoreface set- Bay. However, the first description of soft-bodied EBS fossils was ting. The base of the EBS represents a sequence boundary and is not published until the late 1970s (Glaessner 1979). The history of marked by a conglomerate (up to 2 m thick) that contains various investigations on the EBS Konservat-Lagerstätte was documented clast types and sizes, including sandstone from the Marsden by Paterson et al. (2008) and Jago & Cooper (2011). Sandstone. Above the conglomerate, there is a sharp transition into mudstones that contain the Konservat-Lagerstätte, which is Age, geology and palaeoenvironmental setting restricted to the lower 10 m or so of the unit. Above this, sand- stones become increasingly prominent and, towards the top of the The Emu Bay Shale is a formation of the lower Cambrian (Series formation, contain large arthropod traces. The EBS is conformably 2) Kangaroo Island Group, a largely clastic shelf succession within overlain by the red–brown feldspathic sandstones of the subtidal the Stansbury Basin (Daily et al. 1980; Gehling et al. 2011; Jago Boxing Bay Formation, which also contain abundant arthropod et al. 2012). During deposition of the EBS and adjacent units, traces (Gehling et al. 2011). South Australia was located on the palaeoequator in the ‘tropical The interval of the EBS containing the Konservat-Lagerstätte carbonate development zone’ (Brock et al. 2000), and formed a consists of dark grey, typically laminated micaceous mudstone, part of the East Gondwana margin (Torsvik & Cocks 2013). The with common interbeds of siltstone (up to 5 cm thick) and fine sand- EBS correlates with the lower Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4) stone (up to 20 cm thick) that probably resulted from intermittent Pararaia janeae trilobite Zone of mainland South Australia, based sediment gravity flows (Gehling et al. 2011). The mudstones show on the presence of the trilobites Estaingia bilobata, Balcoracania signs of small-scale fluidization, with the siltstones or sandstones © 2015 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London. All rights reserved. For permissions: http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/permissions. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics Downloaded from http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on October 2, 2021 2 J. R. Paterson et al. (Gehling et al. 2011). This depositional setting is in stark contrast to the majority of other Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten, specifi- cally Burgess Shale-type deposits that formed in outer shelf envi- ronments, either near or immediately adjacent to the seaward margins of expansive carbonate platforms (e.g. Burgess Shale), or offshore of broad clastic shelves (e.g. Chengjiang) (Gaines 2014). The Emu Bay Shale biota: diversity and palaeobiogeographical affinities Of the 50+ species now known from the EBS, around 30% possess biomineralized structures, the remainder being entirely soft-bod- ied. However, in terms of the relative abundance of specimens, biomineralized taxa prevail because of the numerical dominance of the trilobite Estaingia bilobata (up to 80% of individuals on any given bedding surface). As in Cambrian Burgess Shale-type biotas (Caron & Jackson 2008; Caron et al. 2014; Zhao et al. 2014), species diversity and abundance in the EBS are dominated by panarthropods, which comprise 28 recorded species to date, with several yet to be described. The survey of the biota below is accordingly focused on arthropods, with taxonomic groups drawing on the classification of Legg et al. (2013). Other major groups represented include sponges, molluscs, brachiopods, cycloneuralian worms and a sin- Fig. 1. Geology of the area to the east of Emu Bay on the NE coast gle species of annelid. Some groups of debated affinity that are of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, showing the extent of the Emu known from other Cambrian Burgess Shale-type deposits are rep- Bay Shale at Big Gully, including the location of the main Konservat- resented by single species in the EBS, including chancelloriids, the Lagerstätte sites on the shoreline and at Buck Quarry (after Gehling probably deuterostome ‘cambroernids’ (incorporating the rotadis- et al. 2011). cids), and the vetulicolians (see Box 1; Fig. 2). occasionally loading into the underlying mudstones, resulting in Arthropods flame structures. The mudstones do not appear to be bioturbated Trilobites (especially where the soft-bodied fossils occur) and, in combination with the presence of sedimentary pyrite (McKirdy et al. 2011) and Five species have been identified in the EBS (Jell in Bengtson et al. 1990; Paterson & Jago 2006), two of which are abundant pyritized soft tissues (Paterson et al. 2011), indicate anoxia below (Estaingia bilobata and Redlichia takooensis: Fig. 3a) whereas the the sediment–water interface based on comparisons with Cambrian remaining three are very rare (Balcoracania dailyi, Holyoakia Burgess Shale-type deposits (Gabbott et al. 2004; Gaines & Droser simpsoni and Megapharanaspis nedini). The trilobites suggest 2005, 2010; Gaines et al. 2012a,b; Gaines 2014). Geochemical strong biogeographical connections with South China and studies also indicate anoxic conditions within the sediment (Hall Antarctica; as outlined below, many of
Recommended publications
  • The Sirius Passet Lagerst‰Tte of North
    Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 02 January 2019 Version of attached le: Published Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Hammarlund, Emma U. and Smith, M. Paul and Rasmussen, Jan A. and Nielsen, Arne T. and Caneld, Donald E. and Harper, David A. T. (2019) 'The Sirius Passet Lagerst¤atteof North Greenlanda geochemical window on early Cambrian lowoxygen environments and ecosystems.', Geobiology., 17 (1). pp. 12-26. Further information on publisher's website: https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12315 Publisher's copyright statement: c 2018 The Authors. Geobiology Published by John Wiley Sons Ltd This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Additional information: Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Durham University Library, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LY, United Kingdom Tel : +44 (0)191 334 3042 | Fax : +44 (0)191 334 2971 https://dro.dur.ac.uk Received: 14 January 2018 | Revised: 17 August 2018 | Accepted: 22 August 2018 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12315 ORIGINAL ARTICLE The Sirius Passet Lagerstätte of North Greenland—A geochemical window on early Cambrian low- oxygen environments and ecosystems Emma U.
    [Show full text]
  • Multi-Gene Analyses of the Phylogenetic Relationships Among the Mollusca, Annelida, and Arthropoda Donald J
    Zoological Studies 47(3): 338-351 (2008) Multi-Gene Analyses of the Phylogenetic Relationships among the Mollusca, Annelida, and Arthropoda Donald J. Colgan1,*, Patricia A. Hutchings2, and Emma Beacham1 1Evolutionary Biology Unit, The Australian Museum, 6 College St. Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia 2Marine Invertebrates, The Australian Museum, 6 College St., Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia (Accepted October 29, 2007) Donald J. Colgan, Patricia A. Hutchings, and Emma Beacham (2008) Multi-gene analyses of the phylogenetic relationships among the Mollusca, Annelida, and Arthropoda. Zoological Studies 47(3): 338-351. The current understanding of metazoan relationships is largely based on analyses of 18S ribosomal RNA ('18S rRNA'). In this paper, DNA sequence data from 2 segments of 28S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, histone H3, and U2 small nuclear (sn)RNA were compiled and used to test phylogenetic relationships among the Mollusca, Annelida, and Arthropoda. The 18S rRNA data were included in the compilations for comparison. The analyses were especially directed at testing the implication of the Eutrochozoan hypothesis that the Annelida and Mollusca are more closely related than are the Annelida and Arthropoda and at determining whether, in contrast to analyses using only 18S rRNA, the addition of data from other genes would reveal these phyla to be monophyletic. New data and available sequences were compiled for up to 49 molluscs, 33 annelids, 22 arthropods, and 27 taxa from 15 other metazoan phyla. The Porifera, Ctenophora, and Cnidaria were used as the outgroup. The Annelida, Mollusca, Entoprocta, Phoronida, Nemertea, Brachiopoda, and Sipuncula (i.e., all studied Lophotrochozoa except for the Bryozoa) formed a monophyletic clade with maximum likelihood bootstrap support of 81% and a Bayesian posterior probability of 0.66 when all data were analyzed.
    [Show full text]
  • USNMP-76 2806 1929.Pdf
    NEW LOWER AND MIDDLE CAJ^IBRIAN CRUSTACEA By Charles E, Resser Associate Curator of Stratigraphic Paleontology INTRODUCTION Among the numerous Cambrian fossils that have been accumulating in the United States National Museum during the last 15 years, there are many undescribed species and some of the specimens are remarkable for the preservation of thin tests or of soft body parts. In order to stimulate further search for the rarer fossils, and par- ticularly for preservations of the softer parts of animals or of delicate plant tissues, it is planned to publish more or less related groups of these animals from time to time. Accordingly, in this paper I have assembled a group of species that centers mainly around the pre- viously described genus Tuzoia, but which also includes several unre- lated forms that were secured from the same localities as the others. This paper thus adds several new species preserving more than ordinarily thin tests of Crustacea and a few with the still softer fleshy parts. Some are from the well known Burgess shale that has already furnished so many interesting animals and plants, but other formations, some of which have not previously been known to yield such fossils, are also represented. This paper also contains information of interest aside from that naturally attaching to any description of the softer parts of such ancient animals, by presenting certain important stratigraphic facts in addition to further data regarding the geographic distribution and origin of the faunas to which these species belong. Acknowledgment.—In the preparation of this paper I was kindly assisted by Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Soft−Part Preservation in Two Species of the Arthropod Isoxys from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada
    Soft−part preservation in two species of the arthropod Isoxys from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada DIEGO C. GARCÍA−BELLIDO, JEAN VANNIER, and DESMOND COLLINS García−Bellido, D.C., Vannier, J., and Collins, D. 2009. Soft−part preservation in two species of the arthropod Isoxys from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54 (4): 699–712. doi:10.4202/app.2009.0024 More than forty specimens from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale reveal the detailed anatomy of Isoxys, a worldwide distributed bivalved arthropod represented here by two species, namely Isoxys acutangulus and Isoxys longissimus. I. acutangulus had a non−mineralized headshield with lateral pleural folds (= “valves” of previous authors) that covered the animal’s body almost entirely, large frontal spherical eyes and a pair of uniramous prehensile appendages bearing stout spiny outgrowths along their anterior margins. The 13 following appendages had a uniform biramous design—i.e., a short endopod and a paddle−like exopod fringed with marginal setae with a probable natatory function. The trunk ended with a flap−like telson that protruded beyond the posterior margin of the headshield. The gut of I. acutangulus was tube−like, running from mouth to telson, and was flanked with numerous 3D−preserved bulbous, paired features inter− preted as digestive glands. The appendage design of I. acutangulus indicates that the animal was a swimmer and a visual predator living off−bottom. The general anatomy of Isoxys longissimus was similar to that of I. acutangulus although less information is available on the exact shape of its appendages and visual organs.
    [Show full text]
  • Worms, Nematoda
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Faculty Publications from the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology Parasitology, Harold W. Manter Laboratory of 2001 Worms, Nematoda Scott Lyell Gardner University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/parasitologyfacpubs Part of the Parasitology Commons Gardner, Scott Lyell, "Worms, Nematoda" (2001). Faculty Publications from the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. 78. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/parasitologyfacpubs/78 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Parasitology, Harold W. Manter Laboratory of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications from the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Published in Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Volume 5 (2001): 843-862. Copyright 2001, Academic Press. Used by permission. Worms, Nematoda Scott L. Gardner University of Nebraska, Lincoln I. What Is a Nematode? Diversity in Morphology pods (see epidermis), and various other inverte- II. The Ubiquitous Nature of Nematodes brates. III. Diversity of Habitats and Distribution stichosome A longitudinal series of cells (sticho- IV. How Do Nematodes Affect the Biosphere? cytes) that form the anterior esophageal glands Tri- V. How Many Species of Nemata? churis. VI. Molecular Diversity in the Nemata VII. Relationships to Other Animal Groups stoma The buccal cavity, just posterior to the oval VIII. Future Knowledge of Nematodes opening or mouth; usually includes the anterior end of the esophagus (pharynx). GLOSSARY pseudocoelom A body cavity not lined with a me- anhydrobiosis A state of dormancy in various in- sodermal epithelium.
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehensive Review of Cambrian Himalayan
    http://www.diva-portal.org Postprint This is the accepted version of a paper published in Papers in Palaeontology. This paper has been peer- reviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination. Citation for the original published paper (version of record): Popov, L E., Holmer, L E., Hughes, N C., Ghobadi Pour, M., Myrow, P M. (2015) Himalayan Cambrian brachiopods. Papers in Palaeontology, 1(4): 345-399 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1017 Access to the published version may require subscription. N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. Permanent link to this version: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-255813 HIMALAYAN CAMBRIAN BRACHIOPODS BY LEONID E. POPOV1, LARS E. HOLMER2, NIGEL C. HUGHES3 MANSOUREH GHOBADI POUR4 AND PAUL M. MYROW5 1Department of Geology, National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP, United Kingdom, <[email protected]>; 2Institute of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden, <[email protected]>; 3Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA <[email protected]>; 4Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran and Department of Geology, National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP, United Kingdom <[email protected]>; 5 Department of Geology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA <[email protected]> Abstract: A synoptic analysis of previously published material and new finds reveals that Himalayan Cambrian brachiopods can be referred to 18 genera, of which 17 are considered herein. These contain 20 taxa assigned to species, of which five are new: Eohadrotreta haydeni, Aphalotreta khemangarensis, Hadrotreta timchristiorum, Prototreta? sumnaensis and Amictocracens? brocki.
    [Show full text]
  • 001-012 Primeras Páginas
    PUBLICACIONES DEL INSTITUTO GEOLÓGICO Y MINERO DE ESPAÑA Serie: CUADERNOS DEL MUSEO GEOMINERO. Nº 9 ADVANCES IN TRILOBITE RESEARCH ADVANCES IN TRILOBITE RESEARCH IN ADVANCES ADVANCES IN TRILOBITE RESEARCH IN ADVANCES planeta tierra Editors: I. Rábano, R. Gozalo and Ciencias de la Tierra para la Sociedad D. García-Bellido 9 788478 407590 MINISTERIO MINISTERIO DE CIENCIA DE CIENCIA E INNOVACIÓN E INNOVACIÓN ADVANCES IN TRILOBITE RESEARCH Editors: I. Rábano, R. Gozalo and D. García-Bellido Instituto Geológico y Minero de España Madrid, 2008 Serie: CUADERNOS DEL MUSEO GEOMINERO, Nº 9 INTERNATIONAL TRILOBITE CONFERENCE (4. 2008. Toledo) Advances in trilobite research: Fourth International Trilobite Conference, Toledo, June,16-24, 2008 / I. Rábano, R. Gozalo and D. García-Bellido, eds.- Madrid: Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, 2008. 448 pgs; ils; 24 cm .- (Cuadernos del Museo Geominero; 9) ISBN 978-84-7840-759-0 1. Fauna trilobites. 2. Congreso. I. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, ed. II. Rábano,I., ed. III Gozalo, R., ed. IV. García-Bellido, D., ed. 562 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher. References to this volume: It is suggested that either of the following alternatives should be used for future bibliographic references to the whole or part of this volume: Rábano, I., Gozalo, R. and García-Bellido, D. (eds.) 2008. Advances in trilobite research. Cuadernos del Museo Geominero, 9.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 TIMESCALE for CLIMATIC EVENTS of SUBBOREAL/SUBATLANTIC TRANSITION RECORDED at the VALAKUPIAI SITE, LITHUANIA Jacek Pawlyta1,2
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by BSU Digital Library RADIOCARBON, Vol 49, Nr 2, 2007, p 1–9 © 2007 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona TIMESCALE FOR CLIMATIC EVENTS OF SUBBOREAL/SUBATLANTIC TRANSITION RECORDED AT THE VALAKUPIAI SITE, LITHUANIA Jacek Pawlyta1,2 • Algirdas Gaigalas3 • Adam MichczyÒski1 • Anna Pazdur1 • Aleksander Sanko4 ABSTRACT. Oxbow lake deposits of the Neris River at the Valakupiai site in Vilnius (Lithuania) have been studied by dif- ferent methods including radiocarbon dating. A timescale was attained for the development of the oxbow lake and climatic events recorded in the sediments. 14C dates obtained for 24 samples cover the range 990–6500 BP (AD 580 to 5600 BC). Medieval human activity was found in the upper part of the sediments. Mollusk fauna found in the basal part of the terrace indicate contact between people living in the Baltic and the Black Sea basins. Mean rates were calculated for erosion of the river and for accumulation during the formation of the first terrace. INTRODUCTION This work presents the results of radiocarbon dating of samples collected at the Valakupiai site, near Vilnius in eastern Lithuania (54°43′58″N, 25°18′33″E; 98.5 m asl) (Figure 1). Special attention was paid to the remnant oxbow lake in the Neris River valley and to the lake-bog deposits filling it. Detailed study of the deposits delivered specific information that enabled paleoecological recon- struction of the site, as well as a description of the geochronological evolution of the oxbow lake and accompanying climatic events.
    [Show full text]
  • Evidence for Gill Slits and a Pharynx in Cambrian Vetulicolians: Implications for the Early Evolution of Deuterostomes Ou Et Al
    Evidence for gill slits and a pharynx in Cambrian vetulicolians: implications for the early evolution of deuterostomes Ou et al. Ou et al. BMC Biology 2012, 10:81 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/10/81 (2 October 2012) Ou et al. BMC Biology 2012, 10:81 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/10/81 RESEARCHARTICLE Open Access Evidence for gill slits and a pharynx in Cambrian vetulicolians: implications for the early evolution of deuterostomes Qiang Ou1, Simon Conway Morris2*, Jian Han3, Zhifei Zhang3, Jianni Liu3, Ailin Chen4, Xingliang Zhang3 and Degan Shu1,3* Abstract Background: Vetulicolians are a group of Cambrian metazoans whose distinctive bodyplan continues to present a major phylogenetic challenge. Thus, we see vetulicolians assigned to groups as disparate as deuterostomes and ecdysozoans. This divergence of opinions revolves around a strikingly arthropod-like body, but one that also bears complex lateral structures on its anterior section interpreted as pharyngeal openings. Establishing the homology of these structures is central to resolving where vetulicolians sit in metazoan phylogeny. Results: New material from the Chengjiang Lagerstätte helps to resolve this issue. Here, we demonstrate that these controversial structures comprise grooves with a series of openings. The latter are oval in shape and associated with a complex anatomy consistent with control of their opening and closure. Remains of what we interpret to be a musculature, combined with the capacity for the grooves to contract, indicate vetulicolians possessed a pumping mechanism that could process considerable volumes of seawater. Our observations suggest that food captured in the anterior cavity was transported to dorsal and ventral gutters, which then channeled material to the intestine.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Cambrian (Stage 4) Brachiopods from the Shipai Formation in the Three Gorges Area of South China
    Journal of Paleontology, page 1 of 30 Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Paleontological Society. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 0022-3360/21/1937-2337 doi: 10.1017/jpa.2020.117 Early Cambrian (Stage 4) brachiopods from the Shipai Formation in the Three Gorges area of South China Xiaolin Duan,1 Marissa J. Betts,1,2 Lars E. Holmer,1,3 Yanlong Chen,1 Fan Liu,1 Yue Liang,1 and Zhifei Zhang1* 1State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environments, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710069, China <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> 2Division of Earth Sciences, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia <[email protected]> 3Department of Earth Sciences, Paleobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden <[email protected]> Abstract.—Diverse and abundant fossil taxa have been described in the lower Cambrian Shipai Formation in the Three Gorges area of Hubei Province, South China, but the taxonomy and diversity of the co-occurring brachiopod fauna are still far from clear. Here we describe the brachiopod fauna recovered from the Shipai Formation in the Three Gorges area of South China, including representatives of the subphylum Linguliformea: linguloids (Lingulellotreta ergalievi, Eoobolus malongensis, and Neobolidae gen.
    [Show full text]
  • Contributions in BIOLOGY and GEOLOGY
    MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM Contributions In BIOLOGY and GEOLOGY Number 51 November 29, 1982 A Compendium of Fossil Marine Families J. John Sepkoski, Jr. MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM Contributions in BIOLOGY and GEOLOGY Number 51 November 29, 1982 A COMPENDIUM OF FOSSIL MARINE FAMILIES J. JOHN SEPKOSKI, JR. Department of the Geophysical Sciences University of Chicago REVIEWERS FOR THIS PUBLICATION: Robert Gernant, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee David M. Raup, Field Museum of Natural History Frederick R. Schram, San Diego Natural History Museum Peter M. Sheehan, Milwaukee Public Museum ISBN 0-893260-081-9 Milwaukee Public Museum Press Published by the Order of the Board of Trustees CONTENTS Abstract ---- ---------- -- - ----------------------- 2 Introduction -- --- -- ------ - - - ------- - ----------- - - - 2 Compendium ----------------------------- -- ------ 6 Protozoa ----- - ------- - - - -- -- - -------- - ------ - 6 Porifera------------- --- ---------------------- 9 Archaeocyatha -- - ------ - ------ - - -- ---------- - - - - 14 Coelenterata -- - -- --- -- - - -- - - - - -- - -- - -- - - -- -- - -- 17 Platyhelminthes - - -- - - - -- - - -- - -- - -- - -- -- --- - - - - - - 24 Rhynchocoela - ---- - - - - ---- --- ---- - - ----------- - 24 Priapulida ------ ---- - - - - -- - - -- - ------ - -- ------ 24 Nematoda - -- - --- --- -- - -- --- - -- --- ---- -- - - -- -- 24 Mollusca ------------- --- --------------- ------ 24 Sipunculida ---------- --- ------------ ---- -- --- - 46 Echiurida ------ - --- - - - - - --- --- - -- --- - -- - - ---
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Trilobite Body Patterning
    ANRV309-EA35-14 ARI 20 March 2007 15:54 The Evolution of Trilobite Body Patterning Nigel C. Hughes Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521; email: [email protected] Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 2007. 35:401–34 Key Words First published online as a Review in Advance on Trilobita, trilobitomorph, segmentation, Cambrian, Ordovician, January 29, 2007 diversification, body plan The Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences is online at earth.annualreviews.org Abstract This article’s doi: The good fossil record of trilobite exoskeletal anatomy and on- 10.1146/annurev.earth.35.031306.140258 togeny, coupled with information on their nonbiomineralized tis- Copyright c 2007 by Annual Reviews. sues, permits analysis of how the trilobite body was organized and All rights reserved developed, and the various evolutionary modifications of such pat- 0084-6597/07/0530-0401$20.00 terning within the group. In several respects trilobite development and form appears comparable with that which may have charac- terized the ancestor of most or all euarthropods, giving studies of trilobite body organization special relevance in the light of recent advances in the understanding of arthropod evolution and devel- opment. The Cambrian diversification of trilobites displayed mod- Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 2007.35:401-434. Downloaded from arjournals.annualreviews.org ifications in the patterning of the trunk region comparable with by UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE LIBRARY on 05/02/07. For personal use only. those seen among the closest relatives of Trilobita. In contrast, the Ordovician diversification of trilobites, although contributing greatly to the overall diversity within the clade, did so within a nar- rower range of trunk conditions.
    [Show full text]