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Some problematic fossils from the Vendian of the southeastern White Sea Region

Authors:

Abstract

Three new genera and five new species of uncertain taxonomic position, i.e., Solza margarita gen. et sp. nov., Parvancorina sagitta sp. nov., Karakhtia nessovi gen. et sp. nov., Temnoxa molliuscula gen. et sp. nov., and Vaveliksia vana sp. nov., from the Late Vendian localities of the Onega Peninsula and Zimnii Bereg of the White Sea are described.
1
Paleontological Journal, Vol. 38, No. 1, 2004, pp. 1–9. Translated from Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal, No. 1, 2004, pp. 3–9.
Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Ivantsov, Malakhovskaya, Serezhnikova.
English Translation Copyright © 2004 by
åÄIä “Nauka
/Interperiodica” (Russia).
INTRODUCTION
The present paper continues the description of new
taxa of the Late Vendian metazoans collected by the
permanent expedition of the Laboratory of Precam-
brian Organisms of the Paleontological Institute of the
Russian Academy of Sciences in the southeastern
White Sea Region. The material was collected in the
following localities: (1) the Onega Peninsula, the vicin-
ity of Severodvinsk City, left bank of the Solza River,
approximately 5 km south of the city diversion dam;
(2) the same region, left bank of the Karakhta River,
approximately 2 km upstream from the road Severod-
vinsk–Onega; and (3) Zimnii Bereg (Winter Coast) of
the White Sea near the Zimnegorsk lighthouse. The
host rock of the first and second localities is assigned to
the Ust-Pinega Formation (Grazhdankin and Bronni-
kov, 1997), the third locality displays the Mezen For-
mation of the Upper Vendian. The studied collections
(nos. 3993, 4852, and 4853) are housed at the Paleon-
tological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science,
Moscow (PIN). All specimens were found on the basal
surface of thin layers of fine-grained sandstone. The
species
Parvancorina sagitta
sp. nov.,
Solza margarita
gen. et sp. nov.,
Karakhtia nessovi
gen. et sp. nov., and
Temnoxa molliuscula
gen. et sp. nov. are represented by
counterparts, while
Vaveliksia vana
sp. nov. is repre-
sented by a positive mold.
The reconstruction of the fossils represented by
counterparts is based on two assumption, i.e., (1) in
addition to the relief of the upper surface of the ani-
mal’s body, an imprint partly reproduces some internal
structures; and (2) convex elements of imprints corre-
spond to body structures relatively less compact at the
moment of sediment lithification, while concavities
correspond to more compact structures.
Parvancorina sagitta.
Judging from the absence of
folds and rough deformations of the imprint (Pl. 1,
figs. 5–8), the body of
Parvancorina
was rather hard
and, possibly, sclerotized. The single species of
Par-
vancorina, P. minchami
Glaessner, 1958 (Fig. 1), was
Some Problematic Fossils from the Vendian of the Southeastern
White Sea Region
A. Yu. Ivantsov, Ya. E. Malakhovskaya, and E. A. Serezhnikova
Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 123, Moscow, 117997 Russia
e-mail: yamal@paleo.ru
Received June 4, 2002
Abstract
—Three new genera and five new species of uncertain taxonomic position, i.e.,
Solza margarita
gen.
et sp. nov.,
Parvancorina sagitta
sp. nov.,
Karakhtia nessovi
gen. et sp. nov.,
Temnoxa molliuscula
gen. et
sp. nov., and
Vaveliksia vana
sp. nov., from the Late Vendian localities of the Onega Peninsula and Zimnii Bereg
of the White Sea are described.
Key words
: Metazoa, Late Vendian, Arkhangelsk Region, White Sea, Russia.
5
50 10
10
15
mm
mm
Length
P. sagitta
Width
P. minchami
Fig. 1.
Plot of length versus width of the imprints of
Par-
vancorina sagitta
sp. nov. (Onega Peninsula, Solza River;
Ust-Pinega Formation) and
P. minchami
Glaessner from
Zimnii Bereg (Winter Coast) of the White Sea; Mezen For-
mation, “
Kimberella
Lenses” locality.
2
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2004
IVANTSOV
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.
1
Plate 1
2
3
4‡
4b
5‡
5b
6
7
8
9
10
11 12
13
14
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SOME PROBLEMATIC FOSSILS FROM THE VENDIAN 3
considered to be an arthropod (Glaessner, 1980) due to
the presence of oblique hacks on several imprints,
which were interpreted as limb remains, and general
similarity with carapaces of some Paleozoic arthropods
(Glaessner, 1980; Fedonkin, 1985; Jenkins, 1992). Our
material does not display any new arguments favoring
the arthropod affinity of
Parvancorina
. No signs of
limbs were found in specimens of
P. sagitta.
In con-
trast, the similarity of
Parvancorina
to the new fossil
form
Temnoxa molliuscula
, which lacks any arthropo-
dian features at all, casts doubt on the arthropod affinity
of
Parvancorina
.
Temnoxa molliuscula.
The bilateral symmetry of
the body suggests the mobile life style of
Temnoxa
. The
substance composing the body was rather compact but
flexible. The axial zone of the body could be inflated
and displaced laterally (Pl. 2, fig. 2). It was large and
high, so that it could enclose a large volume of internal
organs. The lateral part of the body, which is flattened
in imprints, could be the lateral margin of the foot. The
small number of preserved features do not allow us to
ascribe this fossil to any known phylum; however, in
general, the structure does not exclude a higher organi-
zation of this animal, such as the molluskan evolution-
ary level.
Solza margarita.
The imprint of
Solza
remains a
certain volume, so that its central part is slightly
inflated. Specimens of this form are usually slightly
deformed, i.e., incurved in the anterior region (Pl. 1,
fig. 4a) or inclined laterally (Pl. 1, fig. 2). Probably, the
body was elastic: not firm but not excessively soft. The
body is asymmetrical; one end is acuminate, the maxi-
mum convexity is displaced toward this end. The dorsal
side of the body bears furrows radiating from the center
of convexity, branching, and anastomosing (Fig. 3). It is
impossible to recognize whether these furrows covered
the body during the animal’s life or they were formed
postmortem above certain cavities inside the body.
Judging from the indistinct relief in the majority of
imprints, the latter assumption seems more probable.
The narrow ends of the cavities reached the body mar-
gin and were probably open outside. The pores could
also be present in the central area of the body, where the
cavities anastomose; however, they are not prominent
on the imprint. On the basis of available material, it is
Explanation of Plate 1
Figs. 1–4.
Solza margarita
sp. nov.: (1–3, 4a) latex replica from the natural specimens, (4b) imprint on the rock surface;
×
6;
(1) specimen PIN, no. 4853/55; (2) specimen PIN, no. 4853/58; (3) specimen PIN, no. 4853/61; and (4) holotype PIN, no. 4853/60;
Arkhangelsk Region, Onega Peninsula, Solza River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Figs. 5–8.
Parvancorina sagitta
sp. nov.: (5a) imprint on the rock surface; (5b, 6–8) latex replica; (5) holotype PIN, no. 4853/89,
×
6; (6) specimen PIN, no. 4853/92,
×
6; (7) specimen PIN, no. 4853/101,
×
6; and (8) specimen PIN, no. 4853/91,
×
8; Arkhangelsk
Region, Onega Peninsula, Solza River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Figs. 9–12.
Parvancorina minchami
Glaessner: (9–11) latex replica, (12) imprint on the rock surface; (9) specimen PIN,
no. 3993/5190,
×
8; (10) specimen PIN, no. 3993/5188,
×
6; (11) specimen PIN, no. 3993/5115,
×
3; (12) specimen PIN,
no. 3993/5187,
×
6; Arkhangelsk Region, Zimnii Bereg (Winter Coast) of the White Sea; Upper Vendian, Mezen Formation.
Figs. 13 and 14.
Karakhtia nessovi
sp. nov., imprint on the rock surface: (13) holotype PIN, no. 4852/250,
×
2; and (14) specimen
PIN, no. 4852/249,
×
1; Arkhangelsk Region, Karakhta River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Fig. 2.
Temnoxa molliuscula
sp. nov.; schematic reconstruc-
tion, dorsal view.
Fig. 3.
Solza margarita
sp. nov., schematic reconstruction,
dorsal view (spotted area shows the system of internal ca-
nals).
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1
Plate 2
2
3
456
7
8910
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SOME PROBLEMATIC FOSSILS FROM THE VENDIAN 5
rather difficult to suggest the function of these cavities
(or furrows). We can only suppose that they were asso-
ciated with feeding and internal secretion. This system
could support a structure filtering suspension, microor-
ganisms, or dissolved molecules in the case that both
marginal and central pores developed. The bilateral pat-
tern of the body suggests that
Solza
led a mobile mode
of life. To date, it is impossible to ascribed this taxon to
any known phylum.
Karakhtia nessovi.
The body of
Karakhtia
was
flexible and soft. Its imprints are usually strongly crum-
pled, so that any structural details are hardly discern-
ible. Probably, certain folds were present in living ani-
mals. Only two specimens display traces of transverse
division in the central part. The pattern of body differ-
entiation suggests that
Karakhtia
is related to proartic-
ulates. Actually, this form displays the main proarticu-
late characters, i.e., bilateral symmetry of the body
composed of equal and alternating elements. The pro-
posed hypothetical reconstruction (Fig. 5) resembles
Yorgia
Ivantsov,
Podolimirus
Fedonkin,
Vendia
Keller,
and some other genera from the class Vendiamorpha.
However, the structure of the anterior and lateral parts
of
Karakhtia
is unknown; therefore, the assignment of
Karakhtia
to vendiamorphs and the phylum Proarticu-
lata is premature.
Vav eliksia vana.
Vaveliksia
is represented by irreg-
ularly oval bodies, elongated to different extents,
strongly protruding from the host sandstone (Fig. 6).
Rather often, the bodies are isolated from the host rock
by a separate layer and can easily be extracted. A circu-
lar structure having a central depression and a ringlike
marginal elevation is located near the body end, either
forming its continuation or being slightly apart (Pl. 2,
fig. 8). In the majority of imprints, the surface is divided
by a system of narrow depressions (Fig. 6). Usually,
these depressions look like longitudinal subparallel fur-
rows, more prominent in the middle part of the body
and at the end, opposing the circular structure. The con-
centric wrinkles, sometimes gradually becoming paral-
lel, are visible near the circular structure (Pl. 2, fig. 5).
Small starlike depressions are present everywhere on
Explanation of Plate 2
Figs. 1 and 2.
Temnoxa molliuscula
sp. nov., latex replica,
×
8: (1) holotype PIN, no. 4852/104 and (2) specimen PIN, no. 4852/106;
Arkhangelsk Region, Karakhta River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Figs. 3–10.
Vaveliksia vana
sp. nov.; imprint on the rock surface: (3) specimen PIN, no. 3993/5219-1,
×
2; (4) specimen PIN,
no. 3993/5244,
×
1.5; (5) specimen PIN, no. 3993/5219-2,
×
2; (6) specimen PIN, no. 3993/5216,
×
1.5; (7) specimen PIN,
no. 3993/5224,
×
2; (8) holotype PIN, no. 3993/5217-1,
×
1.5; (9) specimen PIN, no. 3993/5222,
×
1.5; and (10) specimen PIN,
no. 3993/5218,
×
1.5; Zimnii Bereg (Winter Coast) of the White Sea near the Zimnegorsk lighthouse; Upper Vendian, Mezen For-
mation, lower part of the
Yorgia
Beds.
1
2
4
3
5
1
2
3
4
5
(a)
(b)
af
Fig. 4.
Karakhtia nessovi
sp. nov., drawing based on the photographs of (a) holotype PIN, no. 4852/250; and (b) specimen PIN,
no. 4852/249. Designations: (
af
) axial furrow isolating two rows of isomeres from each other; the numbers designate the isomeres
of the left side (on the imprint).
6
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IVANTSOV
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both the imprints and adjacent rock surface. The three
mentioned types of structures are probably caused by
postmortal changes, although the furrows and wrinkles
possibly reflect some morphological features. Some
imprints are crumpled, forming wide sliding isometric
folds, especially prominent in the marginal area (Pl. 2,
figs. 6, 9). Some imprints are finely pitted in places
(Pl. 2, fig. 6). The single specimen (Pl. 2, fig. 3) bears a
large depression on the end opposing the circular struc-
ture, while the surface of the imprint is divided by more
or less regular small linear structures.
Judging from the state of preservation and the posi-
tion within the host rock, the organism was incapable of
self-motion, since no typical signs of muscular activity
nor traces of motion and sediment treatment are
observed near the imprints. All specimens, at least
those composing groups, were preserved
in situ.
One
can propose several kinds of habit for this organism.
It could be buried in sediment, lie freely on the bottom,
or be attached to some substrate and raised above the
bottom. We are inclined to accept the last version. The
characteristic circular structures can be interpreted as
attaching structures. Sometimes, the spatial orientation
of imprints can be noted (Pl. 2, fig. 10). The orientation
might be caused by the bottom water currents. The
feeding strategy of this sessile animal was most likely
filtration through the body wall, since its body surface
is relatively small and no traces of mouth-like struc-
tures are observed. If this is the case, the animal’s body
most likely contained an internal cavity or a system of
cavities increasing the internal surface area.
Thus, the general morphological pattern of
Vavelik-
sia
can be reconstructed as follows (Fig. 7). The sac-
shaped organism was attached by its basal part to the
substrate (microbial film?). The walls of the body were
soft or composed of sediment particles imbedded into
the organic matrix (in the manner of some sponges).
It can also be supposed that the walls were supported
by spicula-like structures (the small linear structures
shown in Fig. 6 can be interpreted as spicules). Super-
ficially similar, but dictionally positioned structures of
the Precambrian genus
Palaeophragmodictya
were
interpreted by Gehling and Rigby (1996) as spicules.
Since the attaching structure and saclike body differ in
the preserved relief (the first is significantly more
prominent than the second), the sucker was a rather
dense and stout structure, while the sac, judging from
its extensive postmortal rugosity, had an internal cavity
and thin walls. Another fact showing the difference
between these elements is disconnection of sac and
sucker in the burial (Pl. 2, fig. 8). Possibly, the organism
was capable of gemmation, the wide and isometric
knobby folds may be interpreted as undetached daugh-
ter individuals (Pl. 2, figs. 5, 6). Small circular struc-
tures in the marginal areas can be very tentatively inter-
preted as apertures, while small pits on the surface can
be regarded as wall perforations. Probably, sediments
got into the body through these openings. The ragged
isometric injury (Pl. 2, fig. 3) is noteworthy. It could be
a bite trace, although such traces are untypical for the
Vendian. Probably,
Vaveliksia
dwelt on the bottom and
formed small colonies composed of three or four indi-
viduals of different size (Fig. 8). Individuals found in
groups lack any communicative structures. From the
above observations and assumptions, one may propose
Fig. 5.
Karakhtia nessovi sp. nov., schematic reconstruc-
tion, dorsal view.
d
ls
p
kf
lf
cw
cs
(a) (b)
Fig. 6. The types of preservation of Vaveliksia vana sp. nov.;
drawing based on the photographs of the specimens (a) PIN,
no. 3993/5219-1 and (b) specimen PIN, no. 3993/5222.
Designations: (cs) circular structure; (cw) concentric wrin-
kles; (d) depression at the apical end of the body (possibly,
aperture); (kf) knobby folds; (lf) longitudinal furrows;
(ls) fine linear structures; and (p) pit, supposed traces of per-
foration of the wall.
PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol. 38 No. 1 2004
SOME PROBLEMATIC FOSSILS FROM THE VENDIAN 7
that Vaveliksia has the same level of organization as
archaeocyaths or sponges.
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
Genus Parvancorina Glaessner, 1958
Parvancorina sagitta Ivantsov, sp. nov.
Plate 1, figs. 5–8
Etymology. From the Latin sagitta (arrow).
Holotype. PIN, no. 4853/89, imprint on the rock
surface, Arkhangelsk Region, Onega Peninsula, Solza
River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Description. The body is elongated oval with a
wider, tentatively anterior end. A narrow band slightly
widened anteriorly and posteriorly extends along the
margin of the body. The central part of the body is
evenly convex in small specimens, while in the larger
specimens, the central area is occupied by an anchor-
like ridge. The transverse beam of this structure is
arched, the distance between its ends is about half of the
whole length of the structure. The longitudinal beam is
straight and relatively wide.
Measurements. See Fig. 1.
Ontogenetic changes. The central structure
is almost indistinct in the smallest specimens (Pl. 1,
fig. 8). During the body growth, it becomes more prom-
inent, and, at the same time, the relative width of the
longitudinal beam decreases, while the relative width of
the transverse beam increases.
Comparison. The new species differs from
P. minchami in the elongated body, wider marginal
band, and wider longitudinal beam and narrower trans-
verse beam of the axial structure. These features are
well-pronounced even in distorted and laterally com-
pressed specimens (Pl. 1, fig. 12).
Material. Holotype and paratypes PIN, nos.
4853/36, 4853/37, 4853/39, 4853/40, 4853/47,
4853/90–93, 4853/95–101, and 4853/104–124 from the
type locality.
Genus Temnoxa Ivantsov, gen. nov.
Etymology. From the Temnoksa River.
Type species. T. molliuscula sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Body elongated oval, clearly divided
into two parts: wide crescent cephalic part and narrow
oval undivided body part. Deep depression extending
across cephalic part in parallel to anterior margin. Body
part with almost flat lateral margins and strongly con-
vex central area composing more than half of body part.
Composition. Type species.
Comparison. The new genus is somewhat simi-
lar to Parvancorina in its elongated oval body with
wide anterior end and in the presence of a wide and
long convex central structure composing more than half
of the body part. The two genera could also be similar
in the structure of the anterior end, as the convex struc-
ture of the anterior part of Temnoxa is compared to the
transverse beam of the anchorlike structure of Parvan-
corina. The difference between the genera is the divi-
sion of the Temnoxa body into two parts so that the con-
vexities of the anterior and posterior parts are isolated
from each other and the absence of the entire peripheral
band bordering the body.
Fig. 7. Reconstructed appearance of Vaveliksia vana sp. nov.
(a)
(b)
Fig. 8. A colony of Vaveliksia vana sp. nov.: (a) drawing
based on the photograph of specimen PIN, no. 3993/5217;
(b) schematic reconstruction.
8
PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol. 38 No. 1 2004
IVANTSOV et al.
Temnoxa molliuscula Ivantsov, sp. nov.
Plate 2, figs. 1 and 2
Etymology. From the Latin molliusculus (rather
soft).
Holotype. PIN, no. 4852/104, imprint on the
rock surface; Arkhangelsk Region, Onega Peninsula,
Karakhta River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Description. The same as the generic diagnosis
(Fig. 2).
Measurements, in mm. Holotype length, 8.5;
holotype width at the cephalic part, 4.6; paratype
length, 6.4; paratype width at the cephalic part, 3.7.
Material. Holotype and paratype PIN,
no. 4852/106 from the type locality.
Genus Solza Ivantsov, gen. nov.
Etymology. From the Solza River.
Type species. Solza margarita sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Body low conical with flattened mar-
gin, egg-shaped in plan. Top of cone displaced toward
tapering end. Body containing system of canals, which
becoming narrower toward periphery, anastomosing in
central part, and repeatedly dichotomizing in marginal
area. Probably, canals open along body margin.
Composition. Type species.
Comparison. The features listed in the diagno-
sis are unique to the new genus.
Solza margarita Ivantsov, sp. nov.
Plate 1, figs. 1–4
Etymology. From the latinized Greek
(µαργαριτηζ) margarita (pearl).
Holotype. PIN, no. 4853/60, imprint on the rock
surface, Arkhangelsk Region, Onega Peninsula, Solza
River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Description. The same as the generic diagnosis
(Fig. 3).
Measurements, in mm:
Material. Holotype and paratypes PIN,
nos. 4853/7, 4853/55, 4853/56, 4853/58, and 4853/61
from the type locality.
Genus Karakhtia Ivantsov, gen. nov.
Etymology. From the Karakhta River.
Type species. Karakhtia nessovi sp. nov.
Specimen PIN, no. Length Width
4853/61 7.2 5.3
4853/56 7.6 5.8
4853/58 8.6 5.9
4853/55 9 7.5
4853/60 (holotype) 10.4 8
4853/7 10.5 8
Diagnosis. Medium and large-sized, body
rounded and isometric in plan divided into two rows of
transverse elements positioned in alternating order with
reference to longitudinal axis of body. Transverse ele-
ments gradually decreasing in size from one end to
other, their lateral ends inclined in the same direction.
Margin of body covered by coarse radial folds, which
probably present in living organism.
Composition. Type species.
Comparison. Karakhtia is similar in morpho-
logical pattern to proarticulates from the class Vendi-
amorpha (Ivantsov, 2001), but it strikingly differs in the
constantly present coarse radial folds.
Karakhtia nessovi Ivantsov, sp. nov.
Plate 1, figs. 13 and 14
Etymology. In honor of the Leningrad paleon-
tologist L.A. Nessov.
Holotype. PIN, no. 4852/250, imprint on the
rock surface, Arkhangelsk Region, Onega Peninsula,
Karakhta River; Upper Vendian, Ust-Pinega Formation.
Description. The same as the generic diagnosis
(Figs. 4a, 4b).
Measurements, in mm:
Material. Holotype and paratypes PIN,
nos. 4852/249, 4852/251–254 from the type locality.
Genus Vaveliksia Fedonkin, 1983
Vaveliksia: Fedonkin, 1983, pp. 136, 137; 1985, pp. 103, 104.
Type species. Vaveliksia velikanovi Fedonkin,
1983; Podolian Dniester Region, right bank of the Dni-
ester River, Dniester hydroelectric power station; Ven-
dian, Mogilev–Podolsk Group, Mogilev Formation,
Lomozov Beds.
Diagnosis. Small saclike organisms with
monaxonix heteropolar symmetry of uncertainly large
order (terminology after Beklemishev, 1964). Organ-
ism composed of two different parts, i.e., rather convex
and massive attaching disk weakly connected to capsu-
lar body.
Composition. The type species and V. vana
sp. nov.
Comparison. The features from the diagnosis
are unique to the genus.
Remarks. In the original description of Vavelik-
sia, Fedonkin (1983) noted that “at the end opposite to
the disk, the ellipsoidal part lacks the smooth closure,
Specimen PIN, no. Length
4852/253 8
4852/252 16
4852/250 (holotype) 22
4852/254 40
4852/249 108
PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol. 38 No. 1 2004
SOME PROBLEMATIC FOSSILS FROM THE VENDIAN 9
but has short linear elements oriented along the long
axis that form a pectinate margin.” These structures
were interpreted as remains of tentacles. A study of
extensive material has shown that these structures are
folded walls of the body rather than tentacles.
Vaveliksia vana Serezhnikova, sp. nov.
Plate 2, figs. 3–10
Etymology. From the Latin vana (incorporeal).
Holotype. PIN, no. 3993/5217-1, natural mold;
Zimnii Bereg (Winter Coast) of the White Sea near the
Zimnegorsk lighthouse; Upper Vendian, Mezen Forma-
tion, lower part of the Yorgia Beds.
Description. The capsular sac is elongated to
different extents along the central axis (see measure-
ments). The attaching disk is 7 to 15 mm in diameter.
The walls of the body are relatively thin and probably
perforated.
Measurements, in mm:
Comparison. The new species differs from
V. velikanovi Fedonkin, 1983 in different proportions of
the saclike body and a smaller diameter and more con-
vex surface of the attaching disk.
Material. Holotype and paratypes PIN,
nos. 3993/5216–5224, 3993/5244–5246 from the type
locality.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to A.V. Mazin (Paleonto-
logical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
for the production of photos.
The field works were supported by the National
Geographic Society of the USA (grant no. 7131-01),
the study of fossil specimens was supported by the Rus-
sian Foundation for Basic Research, project nos. 02-05-
64658 and 00-15-98610.
REFERENCES
1. V. N. Beklemishev, Fundamentals of Invertebrate Com-
parative Anatomy (Nauka, Moscow, 1964), Vol. 1 [in
Russian].
2. M. A. Fedonkin, in Vendian of Ukraine (Nauk. Dumka,
Kiev, 1983), pp. 128–139 [in Russian].
3. M. A. Fedonkin, in Vendian System: Historical Geolog-
ical and Paleontological Substantiation (Nauka, Mos-
cow, 1985), Vol. 1, pp. 70–106 [in Russian].
4. J. G. Gehling and J. K. Rigby, J. Paleontol. 70 (2), 185
(1996).
5. M. F. Glaessner, Ann. Nat. Hist. Mus. Wien 83, 83
(1980).
6. D. V. Grazhdankin and A. A. Bronnikov, Dokl. Ross.
Akad. Nauk 357, 792 (1997).
7. A. Yu. Ivantsov, Paleontol. Zh. 42 (4), 3 (2001).
8. R. J. F. Jenkins, in Origin and Early Evolution of the
Metazoa (Plenum, New York, 1992), pp. 131–176.
Specimen PIN, no. Length Width
3993/5217 86 17
3993/5218 55 16
3993/5219 41 15
3993/5221 35 08
3993/5222 (holotype) 51 19
... These anchor-shaped Parvancorina minchami have shown bilateral symmetry with their separated anterior-posterior alignments. Remarks: The present studied Ediacaran fossils are similar to the small, anchor-shaped fossils showing bilateral symmetry with separated anterior-posterior alignment morphology of P. minchami, recorded from the Ediacaran Rawnsley Quartzite deposits (Glaessner 1958(Glaessner , 1979(Glaessner , 1980, Flinders Ranges of South Australia (Gehling 1999) and differs in the elongated shield body with a wider longitudinal ridge morphology of P. sagitta (Ivantsov et al. 2004). The Sonia Formation P. minchami forms are well compared with the recorded P. minchami in the White Sea Section of Russia (Naimark and Ivantsov 2009) and Ediacaran Rawnsley Quartzite deposits (Glaessner 1958(Glaessner , 1979(Glaessner , 1980. ...
... Parvancorina are benthic marine animals with other suggested from eolian beds and palaeosols of non-marine environmental conditions (Gehling 1991 (Glaessner 1958(Glaessner , 1979(Glaessner , 1980. Globally, two species of Parvancorina have been discussed: i.e., P. minchami (Glaessner 1958) and P. sagitta (Ivantsov et al. 2004). Among these, P. minchami (Glaessner 1958) species are recovered from the classic Ediacaran sites such as the Flinders Ranges of South Australia and the White Sea Region of north-western Russia, whereas P. sagitta (Ivantsov et al. 2004) species are reported only from the White Sea Region of north-western Russia. ...
... Globally, two species of Parvancorina have been discussed: i.e., P. minchami (Glaessner 1958) and P. sagitta (Ivantsov et al. 2004). Among these, P. minchami (Glaessner 1958) species are recovered from the classic Ediacaran sites such as the Flinders Ranges of South Australia and the White Sea Region of north-western Russia, whereas P. sagitta (Ivantsov et al. 2004) species are reported only from the White Sea Region of north-western Russia. The fossil remains of the Parvancorina organism occur only as impressions of the dorsal or posterior rigid shield or shield-like body with anchor-shaped structures (Naimark and Ivantsov 2009). ...
Article
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The present investigation documents and describes the anchor-shaped Ediacaran organisms assigned to Parvancorina (cf. P. minchami) on the sandstone bedding plane of Sonia Formation of Marwar Super-group in India. This is the Brst report of Parvancorina organisms from India. Specimens are preserved as small, rounded to ovate, posterior shield-shaped impressions with an anterior-lateral widened portion and a posterior anchor-shaped structure. P. minchami shows both positive and negative relief preservation modes. In Sonia Formation, the recovered P. minchami specimens have been found in size ranges of 1.5 9 1.5 to 3.0 9 3.5 cm 2 (length 9 width), suggesting preservation of adult and larger forms.
... Information about such records is scarce in publications from other regions with Ediacaran rocks. e bag-like fossil Vaveliksia vana Serezhnikova, 2004 is known from the Yorginskya Formation at the coast of the White Sea (Ivantsov et al., 2004). is species was interpreted as the likely ancestor of the Porifera based on the presence of spicule-like elements on the surface of their bodies. ...
Article
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A thick sequence of Ediacaran (Vendian) deposits is exposed in the southwestern part of Ukraine along the valley of the Dniester River and its left tributaries. The stratigraphy and lithology of these deposits have been studied in some detail, but information on the fossil record is still very scarce. The Kanilovka Group sedimentary sequence has the lowest level of exploration. Tymkivia primitiva gen. nov. sp. nov. is described from Late Ediacaran shallow-water marine rocks of the Podolia region. The fossils are casts of the inner surface and imprints on the surface of bacterial mats (“death masks”) of small, sedentary sac-like organisms. Numerous imprints on the surface of mudstone and siltstone slabs testify to the existence of mass settlements of these organisms in the Volyn-Podilsky sedimentary basin in the Late Ediacaran. Morphological details that could be interpreted as a mouth, anus, and internal organs are not found in the fossils. Tymkivia was found in association with bacterial mat remains and the carbonaceous compressions of Vendotaenia, Kanilovia, and the problematic rod-shaped Harlaniella. Tymkivia is interpreted as possible remains of benthic plants; it is morphologically similar to some modern green algae. The option of interpretation as a fossilized record of the polyp stage of Medusozoa (Cnidaria) cannot be ruled out either. The appearance and disappearance of these organisms are the benchmarks of the stage of sedimentation of the Kanylivka Group.
... A recent development-based analysis demonstrated the consistencies of morphological characters across various genera of the sedentary Rangeomorpha, including a scheme for homology assessment between modules sedentary-pelagic lcba Downloaded from Brill.com11/23/2022 10:52:37PM via free access of the various rangeomorph genera (Dunn et al., 2021). Here we also perform an additional ontogeny-based comparison including juvenile patterns of Dickinsonia and Yorgia (Ivantsov, 2001;Hoekzema et al., 2017;Ivantsov et al., 2004Ivantsov et al., , 2019b and the details of the adult modules across both the unequivocally earliest sedentary Petalonamae ( fig. 2; Narbonne & Gehling, 2003;Chen et al., 2014;Mitchell et al., 2015), and later supposedly mobile proarticulates. ...
Article
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Various evaluations of the last common bilaterian ancestor ( lcba ) currently suggest that it resembled either a microscopic, non-segmented motile adult; or, on the contrary, a complex segmented adult motile urbilaterian. These fundamental inconsistencies remain largely unexplained. A majority of multidisciplinary data regarding sedentary adult ancestral bilaterian organization is overlooked. The sedentary-pelagic model is supported now by a number of novel developmental, paleontological and molecular phylogenetic data: (1) data in support of sedentary sponges, in the adult stage, as sister to all other Metazoa; (2) a similarity of molecular developmental pathways in both adults and larvae across sedentary sponges, cnidarians, and bilaterians; (3) a cnidarian-bilaterian relationship, including a unique sharing of a bona fide Hox-gene cluster, of which the evolutionary appearance does not connect directly to a bilaterian motile organization; (4) the presence of sedentary and tube-dwelling representatives of the main bilaterian clades in the early Cambrian; (5) an absence of definite taxonomic attribution of Ediacaran taxa reconstructed as motile to any true bilaterian phyla; (6) a similarity of tube morphology (and the clear presence of a protoconch-like apical structure of the Ediacaran sedentary Cloudinidae) among shells of the early Cambrian, and later true bilaterians, such as semi-sedentary hyoliths and motile molluscs; (7) recent data that provide growing evidence for a complex urbilaterian, despite a continuous molecular phylogenetic controversy. The present review compares the main existing models and reconciles the sedentary model of an urbilaterian and the model of a larva-like lcba with a unified sedentary(adult)-pelagic(larva) model of the lcba .
... Among other endemics in the Ediacaran section, there are attached saccate organisms of obscure provenance. For instance, there are Vaveliksia velikanovi, Fedonkin, 1983 which may be primitive Spongia (Ivantsov et al., 2004); dendritic, attached to the biomat substrate Lomosovis malus Fedonkin, 1983; complex bilateral organisms from the group Dipleurozoa (Dzik) -Proarticulata (Fedonkin), Podolimirus mirus Fedonkin, 1983 (Fig.3.а). Moreover, there are «Spriggina» borealis Fedonkin, 1979, Dickinsonia costata Sprigg, 1947 representatives of a small active benthos at the bottom of the Precambrian sea (Dzik and Martyshyn,2015). ...
Article
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We determined several areas with outcrops of clastic dikes which occur in the rocks of the Menilite suite of the Upper Paleogene period in the so-called Skybova zone [Ukr. Ски́ бова зо́на – the largest tectonic zone within the Carpathian folded structure. The word “skyba” derived from Polish, and is used in relation to nappe – Translator`s Note ] of the Eastern Carpathians. The objective of this article is to reveal the peculiarities of bedding, mineralogical composition and structural-texture peculiarities of the clastic dikes of the Sukyl, Stryi and Skhidnytsia river basins. During our research, we used the method of field structural-geological surveys, traditional method of laboratory analysis of mineralogical-petrographic composition of rocks in thin sections. As a result, we studied the conditions of bedding of clastic dikes, mineral composition and structural-texture peculiarities. We determined that the dikes are represented by aleuro-sandstone and aleurolite with quartz-carbonate cement. Aleurolite most often represents pre-selvage parts of dikes. Mineral grains are mostly formed by quartz of different degrees of roundness. In the selvages of the studied dikes, we observed a decrease in the sizes of mineral grains, enrichment of these parts of dikes by organic compound, increase in the content of carbonate minerals in the rock cement and numerous microdeformations of mineral grains. Also we determined an insignificant content of ore minerals in some studied plots. Additional analysis conducted for a polished sample which characterizes the vertical section of dike in the area of the river Sukyl allowed us to determine the structural signs in its selvages, indicating injection character of dikes` upward introduction to the bearing rocks. We studied the microdeformation of dikes` mineral grains, which are represented by veinles, microfaults and microshifts withclear mixing of their fragments. The obtained results indicate the formation of clastic dikes of the Skybova zone of the Eastern Carpathians in conditions of compression, when relatively flexible material of selvages of the dikes, represented by carbonates and organic compound, contributed to the introduction of the latter to the layer of flysch through the system of tectonic faults of north-west stretch.
... Among other endemics in the Ediacaran section, there are attached saccate organisms of obscure provenance. For instance, there are Vaveliksia velikanovi, Fedonkin, 1983 which may be primitive Spongia (Ivantsov et al., 2004); dendritic, attached to the biomat substrate Lomosovis malus Fedonkin, 1983; complex bilateral organisms from the group Dipleurozoa (Dzik) -Proarticulata (Fedonkin), Podolimirus mirus Fedonkin, 1983 (Fig.3.а). Moreover, there are «Spriggina» borealis Fedonkin, 1979, Dickinsonia costata Sprigg, 1947 representatives of a small active benthos at the bottom of the Precambrian sea (Dzik and Martyshyn,2015). ...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this study is to fully research all aspects of the distribution, development, conditions of burial and preservation of the Ediacaran biocomplex. Thiswork summarizes and extends all data on the unique Vendian invertebrates that are distributed in the natural and artificial outcrops of the Dniester River Basin within Podilia (Ukraine). One of the basic locations of the annual observation was a quarry of rubble stone production near the Dniester hydroelectric station-1, Novodnistrovsk city, which exposes a continuous section of the deposits of the Lomoziv, Yampil, Lyadova and Bernashivka Beds lying on a crystalline basement. This paper shows the outcomes of long-term fieldwork of the Upper Ediacaran which include deposits of the Mogyliv-Podilsky and Kanylivka Group. The researched section is characterized by its clastic composition and the absence of carbonate formations. The basic paleontological collection has more than two thousand specimens, for instance, the imprints of molluscous fauna, traces of their live activity, the remains of flora and fossils of a problematic nature. The most numerous and informative collection of these fossils is located in the stock of the Geological Museum of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The collection contains unique material, including a number of Ediacaran fossils described for the first time. On the whole within Podilia region, more than 100 species have been described in detail. The main areas of biota accumulation in the outcrops are associated with argillites, argillite-siltstones and their contact with sandstones. The best preservation of the imprints is detected in the boundary of facial transitions. Research has revealed that there is a decrease in the numerical and species composition of the molluscous biota, and the dynamic increase in evolution of burrowing organisms and plants within the Podilia Basin during the late Vendian. Such a phenomenon led to an environmental change, increase in oxygen and appearance of new groups of organisms that were subsequently displaced invertebrates. This occurred at the Precambrian/Cambrian transition, and in the geological literature is described as the «Cambrian explosion». Studies have found that the total number of taxonomic composition of the Eidacaran in Podilia is similar to the orictocoenosis of Southern Australia and the White Sea. Nevertheless, the Podilia biocomplex is more ancient than the Southern Australian and the White Sea, it is much younger than the Avallonian.
... Two species have been described: Parvancorina minchami (Glaessner, 1959) is known from both the Flinders Ranges of South Australia and the White Sea region of northwestern Russia. Parvancorina sagitta (Ivantsov et al., 2004) however, is so far described only from the White Sea localities (Naimark and Ivantsov, 2009). Individuals of the genus Parvancorina generally range between 1 and 40 mm in length and are known from dorsal external molds on the soles of siliciclastic beds (Naimark and Ivantsov, 2009). ...
Article
The ancient in situ fossil seafloor communities of the Ediacara biota present an unparalleled window into the assembly of the earliest complex macroscopic organisms, including early animals on Earth ca. 555 million years ago (mya). The unique preservation style of Ediacara fossil seafloors preserves whole communities virtually ‘frozen in time’, including both living and dead organisms at the time of burial. This phenomenon, where the fossilized organisms are arranged as they were in life offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine ecological patterns in some of the earliest examples of animal communities in deep time. The small, anchor-shaped fossil genus Parvancorina is common among the Ediacara biota; however, its morphology and ecology have received little attention. Here, we describe a population of juvenile Parvancorina preserved on a section of fossil seafloor recently excavated from the characteristic Ediacara Member from Ediacara Conservation Park in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. We applied spatial methods to the sample population of Parvancorina (n = 202) and found that they demonstrated two size-clusters, distinguishing juveniles from adults, and further analyses showed that the smaller specimens tended to be spatially aggregated. For the first time among any Ediacara taxon, we found that this sample population of Parvancorina demonstrated a strong bimodal orientation, suggesting that orientation played an important behavioral role in its autecology. The aggregated spatial distribution and bimodal orientation of Parvancorina likely resulted from behavioral responses to the influence of benthic currents, suggesting that Parvancorina had a complex sensory network, and was capable of motility.
Thesis
Ecdysozoans are among the most abundant animals (e.g., arthropods) on Earth and have an extremely long evolutionary history with a rich Cambrian fossil record. This thesis focusses on one the major elements of the Cambrian ecdysozoan fauna, the scalidophoran worms. Our fossil material comes from: 1) Small Shelly Fossil (SSF) assemblages from the basal Cambrian (Fortunian Stage) Kuanchuanpu Formation (Shaanxi Province, China; ca 535 Ma) and 2) the early Cambrian (Stage 3) Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Yunnan Province, China; ca 518). Both localities yielded exceptionally preserved fossils that provide key information on the early evolutionary history of scalidophorans. Our results are summarized as follows: 1- The finding of exuviae provide solid fossil evidence that ancestor ecdysozoans animals grew by moulting at least 535 million years ago, before the diversification of arthropods. This confirms that the scalidophoran worms from the Kuanchuanpu Formation are the oldest known true ecdysozoans. 2- We also shows that the external surface of the cuticle of scalidophoran worms from the Kuanchuanpu Formation (ca 535 Ma) bears a fine, micrometre-sized, hexagonal network that is interpreted as the faithful replica of the boundary between underlying epithelial cells. This interpretation is based on identical structures observed in extant priapulid worms. 3- Based on exceptionally preserved specimens from the Chengjiang Lagerstätte (ca 518 Ma), the anatomy and lifestyle of Selkirkia are reexplored and more precisely the tube formation and relation to body. Fossil evidence indicate that the tube was probably secreted by trunk epithelial cells and renewed periodically via non-synchronous ecdysis. The moulting process of Selkirkia implies that the worm temporarily left its tube and probably remained buried in sediment until the renewal of its cuticle. Brachiopod epibionts also give precise information on the endobenthic habitat of Selkirkia, close the water-sediment interface. 4- Eggs preserved in situ within the internal cavity of Selkirkia from the Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte (ca 514 Ma) and interpreted as oocytes (non-fertilized eggs) rather than early embryos, thus indicating that the general organization of female gonads in scalidophoran worms has remained virtually unchanged since the early Cambrian. These findings provide, for the first time, key information on the reproductive organs and pre-embryonic development of early ecdysozoans (Scalidophora). The relatively large size (possibly yolk-rich) and low number of oocytes suggest that the reproductive strategy of Selkirkia was comparable with that of modern meiobenthic priapulids and that energy invested by this Cambrian scalidophoran worm was possibly oriented towards quality rather than quantity. 5- A new phylogeny of Scalidophora is proposed based on augmented morphological data, reassessment of characters and various cladistic methods. Maximum parsimony (Heuristic TBR, TNT, and TreeSearch), and maximum likelihood resolve topologies with extant priapulids forming a sister clade to Selkirkia and palaeoscolecids, and with Loricifera and Kinorhyncha branching off basally. By contrast, the unconstrained Bayesian runs converge on a basal Selkirkia sister group to Palaeoscolecida and Scalidophora. The strength of this model was tested by enforcing a backbone on the Bayesian analysis. The resulting topology bears overall similarity with the unweighted TreeSearch topology and yields on average slightly better harmonic means than the unconstrained model. A better treatment of inapplicable states helped parsimony converge with Bayesian inference, assuming a model with basal Loricifera and Kinorhyncha.
Article
Many Ediacaran macrofossils are apparently composed of unique pneus (similar, repetitive tubular modules) forming a variety of body shapes by combinations of modular growth regimes. The large-scale disappearance of Ediacaran macro-organisms at the end of the Precambrian leaves this now extinct modular body plan only rarely reported from the Cambrian onwards. Mackenzia costalis is an enigmatic and poorly understood soft-bodied organism from the middle Cambrian, and is a possible surviving member of the Edi-acaran macrobiota. Here, we describe a new mackenziid, Paramackenzia canalifera, from the early Cambrian Cheng-jiang biota, Yunnan Province, southwest China. It has a body plan comprising longitudinal tubular modules that are radially arranged to form a cylindrical body with a basal attachment. Each tubular module is enclosed by an inner and outer concentric membrane, separated from adjacent modules by a thin lamellar sheet. Infilling sediment and preservation of dark, basal stains at the inner and outer membranes reveal a pore-canal system within the lamellae, connecting the internal cavity to the exterior. This arrangement of tubular modules is similar to that of several macroscopic Ediacaran species, including erniettomorphs and dickinsoniomorphs, which were constructed of serial hydrostatic modules referred to as 'pneus'. The mackenziid pore system is similar to that of sponges and archaeocyathids in function and feeding strategy, but the overall anatomy precludes affiliation to this phylum. We suggest that mackenziids are most likely to be a blastic or diploblastic anatomical grade of stem eumetazoans, similar to other modular Ediacaran macro-organisms.
Article
Full-text available
Ediacara-type fossils constitute the most representative Ediacaran macroscopic and soft-bodied biotic assemblages (i.e., Ediacara biotas). Ediacara biotas have been classified into three different assemblages—the Avalon, White Sea, and Nama assemblages mainly based on their ages, taxonomic compositions, and lithologies. The late Ediacaran Shibantan biota from the Yangtze Gorges area is a rare example of Ediacara-type fossil assemblages preserved in carbonate rocks. In this study, we applied quantitative approaches, including multivariate and network analyses, to recognize four different assemblages, assigned the Shibantan biota to one of these assemblages, and preliminarily discussed ecospace occupancy in the Shibantan biota, as compared with the three classic and broadly accepted assemblages mentioned above. The results of cluster and network analyses are inclined to classify the Shibantan biota as a member of the Nama assemblage. It is also worth noting that the placement of the Shibantan biota is deviated from other typical fossil localities of Nama assemblage in the result of NMDS analysis, possibly caused by the uniqueness and complexity of the Shibantan tax-onomic composition. The Shibantan biota is dominated by sessile and mobile benthic organisms, whose unique body fossils and abundant and complex trace fossils expand our understanding of ecospace occupancy during this time in-terval. From the perspective of ecospace occupancy, the Shibantan biota is more complex than the Avalon assemblage, similar to or slightly more complex than typical Nama and White Sea assemblages. 埃迪卡拉化石组成了全球埃迪卡拉纪地层中最具代表性的大型软躯体生物群落。根据其时代、化石种类以及岩性等, 埃迪卡拉化石被划分为阿瓦隆、白海、纳玛三个不同组合。产自我国三峡地区埃迪卡拉纪晚期的石板滩生物群是为数不多保存在海相碳酸盐岩中的埃迪卡拉化石生物群。本文利用多元统计分析和网络分析等定量古生物方法划分出四个化石组合, 检验并探讨了石板滩生物群所属的组合类型, 以及初步探讨了石板滩生物群的生态空间利用情况。聚类分析和网络分析的结果, 均倾向于将石板滩生物群划归于纳玛组合。然而在非度量性多维标度变换(NMDS)分析中, 石板滩生物群因其化石属种组成的独特性和复杂性, 离其他典型的纳玛组合化石产地的点位相距较远。石板滩生物群的生活方式以底栖固着和底栖移动类型为主, 其独有的实体化石和丰富、复杂的遗迹化石属种, 拓展了人们关于该时期生物对生态空间利用的认识。从生态空间利用的角度来看, 石板滩生物群要远高于阿瓦隆组合, 接近甚至略高于典型的纳玛组合和白海组合。
Thesis
Full-text available
If we could capture a glimpse of the earliest macroscopic communities on Earth, what might they have looked like? The globally distributed fossils of the Ediacara biota represent the earliest-known examples of multicellular life, and are our best chance of understanding how early macroscopic life evolved on Earth. The Ediacaran fossils of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia (~ 555 million years old) record ancient marine-benthic communities as shallow impressions in large expanses of stratified, fossilized seafloors. The unique preservation style of Ediacaran fossils, where largely external impressions replicate the locations of individuals on the ancient seafloor as they were in life (pre-burial and subsequent fossilization), allows for the analysis of inter- and intra-taxon spatial distributions and interpretation of organism behaviour. Furthermore, crude yet detailed impressions of the individuals allows for the limited analysis of morphological characters, and occasionally tentative placement within specific phyla. Due to limitations in preservation, the phylogenetic affinities of Ediacaran fossils are still debated. Assignments have ranged from extinct relatives of extant marine animals, to terrestrial fungi and lichens, to an extinct kingdom of life altogether. However, many palaeontologists today recognize Ediacaran fossils as a diverse collective of enigmatic marine organisms, some of which might represent the earliest examples of molluscs, cnidarians, echinoderms, sponges and arthropods. The Flinders Ranges of South Australia preserves some of the world’s most diverse Ediacaran communities, so Ediacaran seafloors from there have been the subject of many studies of Ediacaran palaeoecology. In my thesis I investigate the palaeoecology of select Ediacaran seafloors excavated from two main fossil sites from the western flanks of the Flinders Ranges: Ediacara Conservation Park and the National Heritage Listed fossil site in Nilpena. Due to the high species diversity present on many Ediacaran seafloors, I explore the communities from a holistic perspective, comparing apparent ecological trends with living communities, as well as from a species-specific level. The community ecology of a new fine-grained Ediacaran fossil bed recently discovered in Ediacara Conservation Park (NECP Bed-1) is explored. This fossil bed preserves a highly diverse community including dozens of specimens of the small enigmatic shield- shaped fossil Parvancorina, and two new undescribed genera. The diverse Ediacaran community, highly textured organic surface (TOS) and trace fossils are evident of successive events occurring on NECP Bed-1, and are indicative of a mature community at late-stage succession. Foremost, I focus on the small and relatively common shield-shaped fossil Parvancorina, which has been controversially interpreted as an early arthropod. Through nearest-neighbour cluster analyses of the Parvancorina population on NECP Bed-1 (n = 202), I demonstrate that two size-classes are present, distinguishing ‘juveniles’ from ‘adults’. Furthermore, orientation analysis of the population showed a strong bimodal orientation in alignment with benthic currents, suggesting that orientation played an important role in its autecology. Globally, there are two described species of Parvancorina inferred from traditional bivariate analyses of specimen length and width, that demonstrate gross shape disparity: 1) P. minchami, specimens of which are laterally wider, whilst 2) P. saggita specimens are comparatively narrower. To more comprehensively assess the shape variability in the genus, I apply geometric morphometric shape analyses to 213 specimens from Ediacara Conservation Park, Nilpena and the White Sea of Russia collectively, revealing a continuous gradient in shape change from wide specimens through to narrow specimens. In light of the variability observed in its shape, I argue that the two currently described taxa are possibly extreme morphotypes of a species that demonstrates a high degree of morphological plasticity. In this thesis I also describe a new Ediacaran fossil with bilateral symmetry from Ediacara Conservation Park, an organism I have named Velocephalina greenwoodensis. This fossil shows a body structure previously undescribed among the Ediacaran genera, although it does share some similarities with the mollusc-grade Ediacaran fossil Kimberella. As such, I interpret Velocephalina to be a possible stem-group mollusc, and also suggest that bilaterian organisms were likely more prolific during the Ediacaran period than previously thought. Finally, I examine the palaeoecology of major fossil beds excavated from Nilpena using species-diversity models applied to living communities, to see if the same ecological assembly rules pertained to th𝑧e earliest complex communities on Earth. The species-area richness (SAR) model, 𝑆 = 𝑐𝐴 , where species richness (S) increases as a power function (z) of habitat area (A), is a fundamental ecological law that applies to all living communities. I apply the fundamental ecological law of SAR to a sample of 18 Ediacaran seafloor surfaces from Nilpena to see if the same ecological assembly rules pertained to some of the earliest communities on Earth. Remarkably, despite a lack of predation –one of the main drivers of Phanerozoic evolution– in the sampled Ediacaran communities, and vast changes in species composition, this study demonstrates that this fundamental ecological assembly rule persisted for over half a billion years.
Article
New fossils from the Neoproterozoic Ediacara fauna of South Australia are interpreted as the oldest known hexactinellid sponges. They occur within the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite (Pound Subgroup) from several locations in the Flinders Ranges. The new genus, Palaeophragmodictya, is characterized by disc-shaped impressions preserving characteristic spicular networks and is reconstructed as a convex sponge with a peripheral frill and an oscular disc at the apex.
  • M A Fedonkin
M. A. Fedonkin, in Vendian of Ukraine (Nauk. Dumka, Kiev, 1983), pp. 128–139 [in Russian].
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M. F. Glaessner, Ann. Nat. Hist. Mus. Wien 83, 83 (1980).
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  • A A Bronnikov
D. V. Grazhdankin and A. A. Bronnikov, Dokl. Ross. Akad. Nauk 357, 792 (1997).
  • A Yu
A. Yu. Ivantsov, Paleontol. Zh. 42 (4), 3 (2001).