Maikhanellids are a distinct group of Cambrian Fortunian small shelly fossils by the capshaped profiles and scaly shell ornamentation.According to the individual shell shape and ornamentation feature types of 50 maikh...Maikhanellids are a distinct group of Cambrian Fortunian small shelly fossils by the capshaped profiles and scaly shell ornamentation.According to the individual shell shape and ornamentation feature types of 50 maikhanellids fossils which were collected from Xixiang botia,we confirmed the family Maikhanellidae content of six genera,which are Maikhanella,Ramenta,Purella,Ramentoides,Yunnannopleura and Mediata.Unlike the halkieriid animals whose shells and spicules are articulated on different body parts,maikhanellids were presumably yielded by siphogonuchitid spicules penetrating the intermediate matrix(the "spicule shell" hypothesis),and this is the reason that some researchers treated maikhanellids and co-occurring siphogonuchitids as synonyms.The affinities of Maikhanellids and siphogonuchitids remain debatable.Here,we report three dimensionally phosphatized maikhanellid shells and siphogonuchitid spicule bundles from the Cambrian Fortunian small shell faunas of South China.They differ from all the previously reported maikhanellids and siphogonuchitids,and may represent new types.The intact and smooth surface underneath the partially preserved scales of the shells challenges the "spicule-shell" hypothesis.The present siphogonuchitid spicules differ from the maikhanellid scales in size,morphology,and.arrangement pattern,thus the spicules might not be derived from the shells.Whether the shells and spicule bundles were articulated on different body parts of the same animals remains unknown.展开更多
ObjectiveThe Xixiang biota is a specially preserved micro oryctocoenose discovered in the Lower Cambrian Kuanchuanpu member of Dengying Formation at Zhangjiagou section of Xixiang County in southern Shaanxi Province. ...ObjectiveThe Xixiang biota is a specially preserved micro oryctocoenose discovered in the Lower Cambrian Kuanchuanpu member of Dengying Formation at Zhangjiagou section of Xixiang County in southern Shaanxi Province. The Kuanchuanpu member is a set of neritic carbonate sedimentary formation containing phosphorus and silicon. Its lithology is mainly grey massive fine crystalline, dense massive phosphoruscontaining biolithite and flaggy microcrystallinecrystalline dolomitic limestone. It is in a conformable contact with the underlying upper dolomite member of Dengying Formation and a parallel unconformable contact with the overlying Guojiaba Formation. The fossil assemblages of the Xixiang biota could be compared with the microfbssils from the Lower Cambrian Meishucun Stage, and their age is the Early Cambrian Meishucun Stage.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41572009,41572007, 41472015)College Students' Innovative Entrepreneurial Training Program of Chang'an University(Grant No. 201610710043,201610710044,201610710047, 201610710045),0012-310600161000The Tenth "Challenge Cup" Competition of Chang'an University (C-P-B-2,C-P-B-6,C-P-B-8)
文摘Maikhanellids are a distinct group of Cambrian Fortunian small shelly fossils by the capshaped profiles and scaly shell ornamentation.According to the individual shell shape and ornamentation feature types of 50 maikhanellids fossils which were collected from Xixiang botia,we confirmed the family Maikhanellidae content of six genera,which are Maikhanella,Ramenta,Purella,Ramentoides,Yunnannopleura and Mediata.Unlike the halkieriid animals whose shells and spicules are articulated on different body parts,maikhanellids were presumably yielded by siphogonuchitid spicules penetrating the intermediate matrix(the "spicule shell" hypothesis),and this is the reason that some researchers treated maikhanellids and co-occurring siphogonuchitids as synonyms.The affinities of Maikhanellids and siphogonuchitids remain debatable.Here,we report three dimensionally phosphatized maikhanellid shells and siphogonuchitid spicule bundles from the Cambrian Fortunian small shell faunas of South China.They differ from all the previously reported maikhanellids and siphogonuchitids,and may represent new types.The intact and smooth surface underneath the partially preserved scales of the shells challenges the "spicule-shell" hypothesis.The present siphogonuchitid spicules differ from the maikhanellid scales in size,morphology,and.arrangement pattern,thus the spicules might not be derived from the shells.Whether the shells and spicule bundles were articulated on different body parts of the same animals remains unknown.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.41572009)2016 College Students' innovative training program of Chang'an University (grants No.201610710043, 201610710044, 201610710047 and 201610710045)
文摘ObjectiveThe Xixiang biota is a specially preserved micro oryctocoenose discovered in the Lower Cambrian Kuanchuanpu member of Dengying Formation at Zhangjiagou section of Xixiang County in southern Shaanxi Province. The Kuanchuanpu member is a set of neritic carbonate sedimentary formation containing phosphorus and silicon. Its lithology is mainly grey massive fine crystalline, dense massive phosphoruscontaining biolithite and flaggy microcrystallinecrystalline dolomitic limestone. It is in a conformable contact with the underlying upper dolomite member of Dengying Formation and a parallel unconformable contact with the overlying Guojiaba Formation. The fossil assemblages of the Xixiang biota could be compared with the microfbssils from the Lower Cambrian Meishucun Stage, and their age is the Early Cambrian Meishucun Stage.