Rugoconites
| Rugoconites Temporal range: Ediacaran | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | ?Trilobozoa Fedonkin, 1985 |
| Genus: | Rugoconites |
| Species | |
| |
Rugoconites is a fossil member of the Ediacaran biota that takes the form of a circular to oval impression preserved in high relief, six or more centimeters in diameter. The fossils are surrounded by frills that have been interpreted (Wade 1972) as sets of tentacles. The bifurcating radial ribs, spreading from a central dome, serve to distinguish this genus from the very similar Paleophragmodictya, and may represent the channels of the gastrovascular system (Fedonkin & Cope 1985). Speculation that the fossils may represent sponges (Gehling 1996) is not accepted by Sepkoski et al. (2002), who interpret the organism as a jellyfish-like cnidarian; it is believed that, in common with Ovatoscutum, Rugoconites were free-swimming (Waggonner 1995). Cnidarian affinities are not necessarily refuted by Ivantstov & Fedonkin (2002), who suggest that Rugoconites may possess tri-radial symmetry and be a member of the Trilobozoa.
Rugoconites have been reported in clusters; this may represent a social/colonial way of life, or simply accumulation by the action of currents, sea-floor processes, or possibly preservational conditions (Droser 2007).
See also
External links
- http://www.yuzonakano-secretmemory.com/life3.c.html contains a low-quality image.
References
- "The Paleobiology database". Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- Droser, M.L. (2007). "Anchors Away: Anatomy Of An Ediacaran Sea Floor Dominated By Parvancorina". 2007 GSA Denver Annual Meeting. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- Fedonkin, M.A.; Cope, J.C.W. (1985). "Precambrian Metazoans: The Problems of Preservation, Systematics and Evolution [and Discussion]". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 311 (1148): 27–45. doi:10.1098/rstb.1985.0136. JSTOR 2396968.
- Gehling, J.G.; Rigby, J.K. (1996-03-01). "Long expected sponges from the Neoproterozoic Ediacara fauna of South Australia". Journal of Paleontology 70 (2): 185–195. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- Ivantstov, A.Y.; Fedonkin, M.A. (2002). "Conulariid-like Fossil From The Vendian Of Russia: A Metazoan Clade Across The Proterozoic/palaeozoic Boundary". Palaeontology 45 (6): 1219–1229. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00283.
- Sepkoski, J.J.; Jablonski, D.; Foote, M. (2002). "A Compendium of Fossil Marine Animal Genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology (serial monograph) (Paleontological Research Institution) 363 (1): 560.
- Waggoner, B.M. (1995). "Ediacaran Lichens: A Critique". Paleobiology 21 (3): 393–397. JSTOR 2401174.