Vendia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vendia | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arthropod-like reconstruction of Vendia rachiata
|
||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||
|
||||||
| Species | ||||||
|
Vendia is an oval-shaped, Ediacaran fossil with a distinctive branch pattern on the axis. Its size ranges from 4.5 to 12.5 mm. It is composed of alternating segments that decrease in size, with the larger overlapping the smaller ones. Down the centre of the organism are alternating lobes attached to a central axis.
Vendia has been found on the Onega Peninsula, Arkhangelsk Oblast of Russia, and was named by Keller in 1969.
Three species,V. rachiata, V. janae, and V. sokolovi, have been described with the following differentiating characteristics:
- V. rachiata has 5 segments per side, with short lobes.
- V. sokolovi has 7 segments per side
- V. janae has distal ends of segments that curve around and meet at the tail point. Larger segments cover the smaller segments. V. janae has been recommended to be a separate genus called Paravendia by Ivantsov.
Vendia may be an early arthropod, and resembles the Ediacaran fossil, Cyanorus. There are also similarities to Spriggina floundersi and Marywadea ovata. Vendia has been suggested to be an ancestor of Skania from the Cambrian period.
