Skip to content Skip to navigation

Article: Systematic description of putative animal fossils from the early Ediacaran Lantian Formation of South China

Palaeontology Cover Image - Volume 59 Part 4
Publication: Palaeontology
Volume: 59
Part: 4
Publication Date: July 2016
Page(s): 515 – 532
Author(s): Bin Wan, Xunlai Yuan, Zhe Chen, Chengguo Guan, Ke Pang, Qing Tang, and Shuhai Xiao
Addition Information

How to Cite

WAN, B., YUAN, X., CHEN, Z., GUAN, C., PANG, K., TANG, Q., XIAO, S. 2016. Systematic description of putative animal fossils from the early Ediacaran Lantian Formation of South China. Palaeontology, 59, 4, 515-532. DOI: 10.1111/pala.12242

Author Information

  • Bin Wan - Chinese Academy of Sciences State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Nanjing Jiangsu China (Email: binwan@nigpas.ac.cn)
  • Xunlai Yuan - Chinese Academy of Sciences State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Nanjing Jiangsu China (Email: xlyuan@nigpas.ac.cn)
  • Zhe Chen - Chinese Academy of Sciences State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Nanjing Jiangsu China (Email: zhechen@nigpas.ac.cn)
  • Chengguo Guan - Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Nanjing Jiangsu China (Email: cgguan@nigpas.ac.cn)
  • Ke Pang - Chinese Academy of Sciences State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Nanjing Jiangsu China (Email: kepang@nigpas.ac.cn)
  • Qing Tang - Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences Blacksburg VA USA (Email: qingt@vt.edu)
  • Shuhai Xiao - Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences Blacksburg VA USA (Email: xiao@vt.edu)

Publication History

  • Manuscript Accepted: 23 March 2016
  • Manuscript Received: 13 January 2016

Funded By

National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: 41502010, 41130209, 41272011, J1210006
Chinese Academy of Sciences. Grant Number: KZZD‐EW‐02
Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. Grant Number: 2013CB835000
National Geographic Society. Grant Number: 9564‐14
National Science Foundation. Grant Number: EAR‐1528553
NASA Exobiology Program. Grant Number: NNX15AL27G

Online Version Hosted By

Wiley Online Library
Get Article: Wiley Online Library [Pay-to-View Access] |

Abstract

The early Ediacaran Lantian Formation in South China contains some of the oldest known representatives of morphologically complex macroorganisms, including various macroalgae and putative animals. The macroalgal fossils have been described previously in several publications, but no taxonomic treatment has been published for the putative animal fossils. This hampers our ability to fully evaluate and communicate the significance of these potentially important Ediacaran macrofossils. To address this deficiency, here we provide a systematic description of these putative animal fossils from the Lantian Formation, including four new genera and five new species: Lantianella laevis gen. et sp. nov., L. annularis gen. et sp. nov., Piyuania cyathiformis gen. et sp. nov., Qianchuania fusiformis gen. et sp. nov. and Xiuningella rara gen. et sp. nov. Morphological comparisons of these fossils and potential modern analogues are provided and critically assessed.

PalAss Go! URL: http://go.palass.org/hns | Twitter: Share on Twitter | Facebook: Share on Facebook | Google+: Share on Google+