Swartpuntia
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Swartpuntia germsi is an Ediacaran leaf shaped frond fossil, with at least three quilted petaloids and probably five or six. The petaloids are vertical sheets of tubes filled with sand. The size is 120 to 190 mm long and 115 to 140 mm wide. The margin is serrated, with a 1 mm wide groove. A 14 mm wide stem extends down the middle, tapering towards the top, and stopping 25 mm from the tip. The stem has a V shaped ornamentation on it. They have been dated from 543 to 542 mya and as such are the youngest Ediacaran fossil. The fossil were found at and named after the Swartpunt farm between Aus and Rosh Pinah in Namibia. The name Swartpunt means black point referring to the colour of the rocks. The germsi species name refers to Gerard Germs who studied the Nama formation of geological beds. The geological context is in sandstone beds in the Spitzkopf Member from the Nama formation.
Organisms resembling Swartpuntia include Pteridinium and Charniodiscus. These too are fronds with alternating segments.
