Proarticulata

Proarticulata
Temporal range: Ediacaran, around 558–555Ma
↓
Several Proarticulatans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
(unranked): Bilateria
Phylum: †Proarticulata Fedonkin, 1985
Class / Family
  • Vendiamorpha Fedonkin, 1985
    • Vendiidae Ivantsov (preliminary) instead of Vendomiidae Keller, 1976
  • Dipleurozoa Harrington et Moore, 1955
  • Cephalozoa Ivantsov (preliminary)
    • Yorgiidae Ivantsov, 2001
    • Sprigginidae Glaessner, 1958[1]

Proarticulata is an extinct phylum of very early bilateria-like animals known from fossils found in the Ediacaran (Vendian) marine deposits, and dates to approximately 558 to 555 million years ago. The name from Greek προ (pro-) = "before" and Articulata, i.e. prior to animals with true segmentation such as annelids and arthropods. This phylum was established by Mikhail A. Fedonkin in 1985 for such animals as Dickinsonia, Vendia, Onega, Praecambridium[2] and currently many other Proarticulata are described (see list).[3]

The transverse articulation (division) of the Proarticulata body into isomers is distinct from the transverse articulation segments in annelids and arthropods, as their individual isomers occupy only half the width of their bodies, and are organized in an alternating pattern along the longitudinal axis of their bodies. In other words, although proarticulatans are bilaterally symmetrical, one side is not the direct mirror image of its opposite (chirality). Opposite isomers of left and right side are located with displacement of half of their width. This phenomenon is described as the symmetry of gliding reflection.[4][5]

Morphology

Examples of the classes Proarticulata, including reconstructions of Vendia sokolovi, Dickinsonia costata and Yorgia waggoneri.

Vendiamorpha

The body is completely segmented, with all isomers curved towards the posterior, and the first isomer is normally much larger than the rest. The first two isomers at the anterior dorsal end are partly fused. (e.g., Vendia, Paravendia and Karakhtia).[4][6][7][8]

Cephalozoa (preliminary name)

These proarticulatans demonstrate incomplete segmentation, as the anterior zone is free of isomers, often making a "hairband" like appearance. (example cephalozoans include Yorgia, Praecambridium, Andiva, Archaeaspinus, Ivovicia, Spriggina, Marywadea and Cyanorus.[4][6][8][9] Some cephalozoans from the family Yorgiidae demonstrate pronounced asymmetry of left and right parts of the body. For instance, Yorgia’s initial right isomer is the only one which spreads far towards the left side of the body. Archaeaspinus has an unpaired anterior lobe confined by the furrow to the left side only.[4][5][8]

Dipleurozoa

The dipleurozoan body is subradial, divided by isomers entirely (e.g., Dickinsonia and Phyllozoon). Dickinsonia juveniles show undivided anterior areas but these regions were reduced in the course of ontogeny, and in the adult stages Dickinsonia-like proarticulates changed so radically that they became almost indistinguishable from isomers.[6][9][10]

Proarticulata Incertae sedis

In Onega stepanovi and Tamga hamulifera all isomers are encircled by a peripheral undivided zone.[9] In the former, the isomers remain in contact with each other, forming a raft-like region, while in the latter, the isomers are isolated from each other and do not touch. In Lossinia, the center undivided region has no visible isomers, instead having the lobe-like isomers emanate from the periphery of the undivided region as "transverse articulations."[9]

List of Proarticulata

Andiva ivantsovi
Andiva ivantsovi
Dickinsonia costata
Dickinsonia costata
Spriggina floundensi
Spriggina floundensi
Ovatoscutum concentricum
Ovatoscutum concentricum
Yorgia waggoneri
Yorgia waggoneri

Body fossils

A. parva Fedonkin, 1980
A. ivantsovi Fedonkin, 2002
A. fedonkini Ivantsov, 2001
C. bilobatum Wade, 1971
C. singularis Ivantsov, 2004
D. costata Sprigg, 1947
D. lissa Wade, 1972
D. menneri Keller 1976[9] (=Vendomia menneri Keller 1976[13])
D. tenuis Glaessner et Wade, 1966
I. rugulosa Ivantsov, 2007
K. nessovi Ivantsov, 2004
L. lissetskii Ivantsov, 2007
M. ovata Glaessner et Wade, 1966
O. stepanovi Fedonkin, 1976
O. concentricum Glaessner et Wade, 1966
P. janae Ivantsov, 2001 (=Vendia janae Ivantsov, 2001)
P. hanseni Jenkins et Gehling, 1978
P. mirus Fedonkin, 1983
P. siggilum Glaessner et Wade, 1966
S. floundersi Glaessner, 1958
T. hamulifera Ivantsov, 2007
V. plumosa Fedonkin, 1983
V. sokolovi Keller, 1969
V. rachiata Ivantsov, 2004
W. aitkeni Narbonne, 1994[14]
Y. waggoneri Ivantsov, 1999

Trace fossils

E. axiferus Ivantsov, 2002.
E. waggoneris Ivantsov, 2011. This is a trace of Yorgia waggoneri
E. costatus Ivantsov, 2011. This is a trace of Dickinsonia costata


See also

References

  1. ↑ Mikhail A. Fedonkin, James G. Gehling, Kathleen Grey, Guy M. Narbonne, and Patricia Vickers-Rich foreword by Arthur C. Clarke. (2008) "The Rise of Animals. Evolution and Diversification of the Kingdom Animalia"
  2. ↑ M. A. Fedonkin (1985). "Systematic Description of Vendian Metazoa". In Sokolov, B. S. and Iwanowski, A. B., eds., "Vendian System: Historical–Geological and Paleontological Foundation, Vol. 1: Paleontology". Moscow: Nauka, pp. 70–106.
  3. ↑ Fedonkin, M.A. (2003). "The origin of the Metazoa in the light of the Proterozoic fossil record" (PDF). Paleontological Research 7 (1): 9–41. doi:10.2517/prpsj.7.9.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Ivantsov, A.Y. (2001). "Vendia and Other Precambrian "Arthropods"". Paleontological Journal 35 (4): 335–343.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ivantsov, A.Y. (1999). "A New Dickinsoniid from the Upper Vendian of the White Sea Winter Coast (Russia, Arkhangelsk Region)". Paleontological Journal 33 (3): 233–241.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Ivantsov, A. Yu (2004). "New Proarticulata from the Vendian of the Arkhangel’sk Region" (PDF). Paleontological Journal 38 (3): 247–253.
  7. ↑ Ivantsov, A.Y.; Malakhovskaya, Y.E.; Serezhnikova, E.A. (2004). "Some Problematic Fossils from the Vendian of the Southeastern White Sea Region" (PDF). Paleontological Journal 38 (1): 1–9.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ivantsov, A.Y. (2004) "Vendian Animals in the Phylum Proarticulata". The Rise and Fall of the Vendian Biota. IGSP Project 493. Abstracts. Prato, Italy, p. 52.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 Ivantsov, A. Yu. (April 2007). "Small Vendian transversely Articulated fossils". Paleontological Journal 41 (2): 113. doi:10.1134/S0031030107020013.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ivantsov, A.Y.; Malakhovskaya, Y.E. (2002). "Giant Traces of Vendian Animals" (PDF). Doklady Earth Sciences 385 (6): 618–622.
  11. ↑ Andrey Yu. Ivantsov (2010). "Paleontological evidence for the supposed precambrian occurrence of mollusks". Paleontological Journal 40 (12): 1552–1559. doi:10.1134/S0031030110120105.
  12. ↑ Fedonkin, M. A. (2002). "Andiva ivantsovi gen. et sp. n. and related carapace‐bearing Ediacaran fossils from the Vendian of the Winter Coast, White Sea, Russia". Italian Journal of Zoology 69 (2): 175–181. doi:10.1080/11250000209356456.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 B. M. Keller and M. A. Fedonkin (1976). "New Records of Fossils in the Valdaian Group of the Precambrian on the Syuz’ma River" (PDF). Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Geol. (in Russian) 3: 38–44.
  14. ↑ Narbonne, G. M. (1994). "New Ediacaran fossils from the Mackenzie Mountains, northwestern Canada". Journal of Paleontology 63 (3): 411–416. JSTOR 1306192.
  15. ↑ Ivantsov, A. Y. (2011). "Feeding traces of Proarticulata — the Vendian metazoa". Paleontological Journal 45 (3): 237–248. doi:10.1134/S0031030111030063.

External links