Curviacus
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| Curviacus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification Error creating thumbnail: | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | incertae sedis |
| Order: | †Palaeopascichnida |
| Genus: | †Curviacus Shen, Xiao, Zhou, Dong, Chang & Chen, 2017 |
| Species: | †C. ediacaranus
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Curviacus ediacaranus Shen, Xiao, Zhou, Dong, Chang & Chen, 2017
| |
Curviacus is a genus of Ediacaran organism of uncertain lineage that displays a modular body plan consisting of crescent-shaped chambers. It contains a single species, Curviacus ediacaranus.
Etymology
[edit | edit source]The genus name Curviacus references the shape of the crescent chambers; coming from Latin curvus meaning curved and acus meaning needle.[1]
Phylogeny
[edit | edit source]The phylogeny of this fossil is not yet known. Some scientists believe the genus to be a coralline algal or fungal stem group.[1]
Occurrence
[edit | edit source]C. ediacaranus is from the late Ediacaran. The fossil C. ediacaranus has been found in the Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation.[1] The Shibantan Member is the bituminous limestone section of the formation.[2] It is unusual for Ediacaran biota to be preserved in limestone. As such, C. ediacaranus is the only Palaeopascichnus fossil to be reported from carbonate rock rather than siliclastic rock.[1] This special type of fossilization allows for 3-dimensional analysis.[1]
Description
[edit | edit source]These fossils occur on bituminous limestone on the bedding surface. The fossilized specimen has calcispar walls with the inner chambers filled with micrite.[1] The walls are raised because the calcispar does not erode as easily. C. ediacaranus is a slightly oblong macrofossil that ranges from 5–14 cm in length. It is characterized by its curved or crescent-shaped chambers that occur arranged in a series with the chambers sharing walls. All of the chambers are convex in the same direction. Each chamber is narrow ranging ~1-3mm in width. Chamber length can be consistent or inconsistent. Inconsistencies can give a false impression of branching.[1] Additionally, the walls of the chambers sometimes converge laterally.
References
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