Persimedusites chahgazensis | |
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P. chahgazensis fossil | |
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Artist's restoration | |
Scientific classification | |
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Genus: | †Persimedusites Hahn et Pflug, 1980 |
Species: | †P. chahgazensis |
Binomial name | |
†Persimedusites chahgazensis Hahn et Pflug, 1980 | |
Persimedusites chahgazensis is a Precambrian discoidal species which are believed to have existed primarily during the late Ediacaran period. [1] It was discovered initially in the Kushk Series in the Bafq and Behabad regions of central Iran, along with similarly aged specimen of Cloudina and Corumbella . [2] [3] The body fossils of these disc-shaped organisms are approximately one centimeter in diameter, and were noted to have symmetrical internal lobes, as well as secondary distal branches. [4]
These preserved branching structures have a noted resemblance to tentacles, and have been observed to be similar to the oral view of Eolympia pediculata . [5] Similar fossils from the late Neoproterozoic Cerro Negro Formation in Argentina have been suggested to resemble Aspidella , but the Iranian specimens lack the customary holdfasts. An important feature of Perimedusites lacked by many similarly disc-shaped late Ediacaran fossils is the radial branches that extend from their center, creating a repetitive structure. Rugoconites enigmaticus, however, does manifest a similar structure, making it possibly comparable [4]
As a member of the phylum Cnidaria, Persimedusites has been hypothesized to resemble a modern jellyfish due to their four-fold radial symmetry., [6] but the true form of these fossils cannot yet be interpreted unequivocally [4]