A study of the morphological and microstructural characteristics of helcionelloids from the Nanjiang area(north Sichuan,China)at the northern Yangtze Platform was undertaken,in order to understand their phylogenetic p...A study of the morphological and microstructural characteristics of helcionelloids from the Nanjiang area(north Sichuan,China)at the northern Yangtze Platform was undertaken,in order to understand their phylogenetic position.Helcionelloids fossils from the Kuanchuanpu Formation of the Changtanhe–Maolinzi section include 7 genera and 11 species.There are distinct differences in the degree of shell bending,the apical morphology and apex position,the outline of the aperture and the height of the shell,all of which constitute important identification features.Although helcionelloid apices exhibit varying degrees of rotation towards the aperture,they do not show any signs of evident distortion.A pair of basally-symmetrical muscle scars are discovered on the shells of helcionelloids(such as Bemella simplex),showing a distinct difference when compared with those of the stem-group gastropod(e.g.,Pelagiella).The prismatic shell layer of helcionelloids has been observed,which are common components in Cambrian molluscs,but differ significantly from the dense layer microstructure found in contemporary molluscs.The microstructures,muscle scars and morphological characteristics demonstrate that helcionelloids represent a stem-group of molluscs.展开更多
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
We describe new material of three-dimensionally phosphatized small shelly fossils Acanthocassis and Xinlispina gen.nov.from the Fortunian Stage（early Cambrian） of southern Shaanxi and northern Sichuan Provinces.The ...We describe new material of three-dimensionally phosphatized small shelly fossils Acanthocassis and Xinlispina gen.nov.from the Fortunian Stage（early Cambrian） of southern Shaanxi and northern Sichuan Provinces.The new materials allow description of the delicate morphology of these skeletons, and also their skeletogenesis.Acanthocassis and Xinlispina have comparable morphological features： a main branch and radially arranged sub-branches.They differ from each other in many details, e.g., the presence of a single central branch only in Xinlispina, and the presence of small nodes only in Acanthocassis.Acanthocassis cannot be a naked anthopolyp or hydropolyp because of the more-or-less stiffened cuticle and the absence of a mouth.Acanthocassisand Xinlispina differ from coeval sponge spicules and chancelloriid sclerites and rosettes of crossed pedicellariae of echinoderms, and might be cuticular ornaments of animals of unclear affinities.They occur in the first small shelly fossil assemblage zone, and could be adopted as auxiliary fossils for biostratigraphic correlation in southern China.展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41872007,41972026)the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2018JY0491)。
文摘A study of the morphological and microstructural characteristics of helcionelloids from the Nanjiang area(north Sichuan,China)at the northern Yangtze Platform was undertaken,in order to understand their phylogenetic position.Helcionelloids fossils from the Kuanchuanpu Formation of the Changtanhe–Maolinzi section include 7 genera and 11 species.There are distinct differences in the degree of shell bending,the apical morphology and apex position,the outline of the aperture and the height of the shell,all of which constitute important identification features.Although helcionelloid apices exhibit varying degrees of rotation towards the aperture,they do not show any signs of evident distortion.A pair of basally-symmetrical muscle scars are discovered on the shells of helcionelloids(such as Bemella simplex),showing a distinct difference when compared with those of the stem-group gastropod(e.g.,Pelagiella).The prismatic shell layer of helcionelloids has been observed,which are common components in Cambrian molluscs,but differ significantly from the dense layer microstructure found in contemporary molluscs.The microstructures,muscle scars and morphological characteristics demonstrate that helcionelloids represent a stem-group of molluscs.
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 (41072012 and 41102003)the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (113115 and 20132107)+2 种基金the Key Project of Central University Fund (CHD2012ZD017)College Students’ Innovative Entrepreneurial Training Program (201410710144 and 201410710105)The Ninth "Challenge Cup" Competition of College Students’ Extracurricular Academic and Technological Achievements, Chang’an University
文摘We describe new material of three-dimensionally phosphatized small shelly fossils Acanthocassis and Xinlispina gen.nov.from the Fortunian Stage（early Cambrian） of southern Shaanxi and northern Sichuan Provinces.The new materials allow description of the delicate morphology of these skeletons, and also their skeletogenesis.Acanthocassis and Xinlispina have comparable morphological features： a main branch and radially arranged sub-branches.They differ from each other in many details, e.g., the presence of a single central branch only in Xinlispina, and the presence of small nodes only in Acanthocassis.Acanthocassis cannot be a naked anthopolyp or hydropolyp because of the more-or-less stiffened cuticle and the absence of a mouth.Acanthocassisand Xinlispina differ from coeval sponge spicules and chancelloriid sclerites and rosettes of crossed pedicellariae of echinoderms, and might be cuticular ornaments of animals of unclear affinities.They occur in the first small shelly fossil assemblage zone, and could be adopted as auxiliary fossils for biostratigraphic correlation in southern China.
