Erytholus

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Erytholus
Temporal range: Middle Cambrian
Erytholus specimen.tif
Crack-out specimen of Erytholus globosus from the Middle Cambrian, Moodlatana Formation, of the Flinders ranges, South Australia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Incertae sedis
Genus:† Erytholus
Retallack 2011
Species
  • Erytholus globosus
Specimen of Eryhtolus globosus in sandstone slab cut vertical to bedding Erytholus section.tif
Specimen of Eryhtolus globosus in sandstone slab cut vertical to bedding
Sketches of specimens of Erytholus globosus from the Middle Cambrian, Moodlatana Formation of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia Erytholus sketches.tif
Sketches of specimens of Erytholus globosus from the Middle Cambrian, Moodlatana Formation of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia

Erytholus is a form genus for problematic alleged fossils of Cambrian age in South Australia. It has been of special interest because of its morphological similarity with the Ediacaran fossil Ventogyrus , and may have been a late surviving vendobiont. It could be a slime mold. [1] Other authors have doubted whether it represents a fossil [2]

Description

Erytholus was claimed by its describer, Gregory Retallack, to be a globose, chambered fossil, with associated vertical tubular structures. Retallack considered its preservation in sandstone is similar to the Ediacaran type preservation of the vendobiont Ventogyrus . It is found at depths of 20–30 centimetres (7.9–11.8 in) within paleosols. Its affinities are uncertain, although it bears a general resemblance to truffles. [1] In a rebuttal published in 2011, four other authors contested the idea that Erytholus was a fossil at all, stating that it was likely merely a "broken section of a poorly sorted ferruginous, muddy sandstone with deformed laminae". [2]

References

  1. 1 2 Retallack, G.J. (2011). "Problematic megafossils in Cambrian paleosols of South Australia". Palaeontology. 54 (6): 1223–1242. Bibcode:2011Palgy..54.1223R. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01099.x . S2CID   130692406.
  2. 1 2 Jago, James B.; Gehling, James G.; Paterson, John R.; Brock, Glenn A. (July 2012). "Comments on Retallack, G. J. 2011: Problematic megafossils in Cambrian Palaeosols of South Australia". Palaeontology. 55 (4): 913–917. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01173.x. ISSN   0031-0239.


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