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The Qingjiang biota are a major discovery of fossilized remains dating from the early Cambrian period approximately 518 million years ago. [1] The remains consist at least 20,000 individual specimens, and were discovered near the Danshui River in the Hubei province of China in 2019. [2] The site is particularly notable due to both the large proportion of new taxa represented (approximately 53% of the specimens), [1] and due to the large amount of soft-body tissue of the ancient specimens that was preserved, likely due to the organisms being rapidly covered in sediment prior to fossilization, that allowed for the detailed preservation of even fragile, soft-bodied creatures such as worms and jellyfish. Shelly fossils found at the site include trilobites, anomalocaridids, lobopods, bradoriids, brachiopods, hyolithids, mollusks, chancelloriids, kinorhynchs, priapulids, and articulated sponge spicules.
The site is a Burgess Shale type preservation, [1] and has been widely compared [1] [3] [4] to the Burgess Shale in terms of the site's richness and significance. The discovery has been described as one of the most significant of its kind in the last 100 years. [2] Initial publications regarding the site stated that 4,351 of the collected specimens had been examined, [2] and 101 species had been identified, 53 of which were new to science. [5]
Talks are reportedly underway with local government to protect the site to ensure the longevity of continued research on the deposited specimens. [4]
Genus | Species | Phylum | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Qingjiangonema [6] | Q. cambria | Thermodesulfobacteriota | "Qingjiangonema is a long filamentous form comprising hundreds of cells filled by equimorphic and equidimensional pyrite microcrystals with a light sulfur isotope composition. Multiple lines of evidence indicate Qingjiangonema was a sulfate-reducing bacterium that exhibits similar patterns of cell organization to filamentous forms within the phylum Desulfobacterota, including the sulfate-reducing Desulfonema and sulfide-oxidizing cable bacteria." |
Genus | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|
Chuaria [7] | Chuaria is a spheroidal and thick-walled eukaryote that is typically regarded as having algal affinities based on cell walls and biogeochemical analyses. It appears to have existed from the late Paleoproterozoic (1670–1640 Ma) to the Qingjiang Formation (518 Ma). "Like many Precambrian microfossils (Simpson, 1944, Schopf, 1994, Dvořák et al., 2015), its extraordinarily slow rate of evolutionary change was probably due to the asexual reproduction and wide ecological tolerance. Accordingly, if Chuaria represented a homogeneous eukaryote, it would make sense that it retained a consistent morphology for an exceptionally long geological time. Such hypobradytelic organism can be seen in macro-organisms as well, e.g., Marchantites Brongniart, 1849 of bryophyte (Li et al., 2014), or Lampetra Bonnaterre, 1788 of chordate (Gess et al., 2006)." | ![]() |
Genus | Species | Clade | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Megaspirellus? [1] | Megaspirellus was originally identified as an alga but has been more recently tentatively re-interpreted as a cololite (fossilized intestinal casts of faecal material) and a junior synonym of Cilindrotomaculum . [8] | |||
Qingjiangthallus [9] | Q. cystocarpium | Florideophyceae | A red alga. "Thalli comprise flat and ribbon‐shaped branches showing different branching patterns, some short branchlets, discoid or globose holdfasts and an unexpected occurrence of possible cystocarps (reproductive bodies)." | |
Sinocylindra [1] | Chlorophyta? | "Smooth cylindrical ribbons 0.19–2.2mm wide and up to 74.0 mm long. Ribbons are flexible and can be curved, looped or folded, but are not regularly coiled as in Megaspirellus or Grypania . No branching or holdfast structures are associated with the ribbons." [10] |
Genus | Species | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Choia [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida | Choiidae | | ||
Crumillospongia [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida | Hazeliidae | |||
Halichondrites [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida | Halichondritidae | ![]() | ||
Hazelia [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida | Hazeliidae | |||
Leptomitella [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida | ||||
Leptomitus [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida | Leptomitidae | |||
Paraleptomitella [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida | Leptomitidae | |||
Saetaspongia [1] | Porifera | Demospongiae | Protomonaxonida [11] | ||||
Sanshapentella [12] | S. tentoriformis | Porifera | Hexactinellida | "Owing to the presence of definite hexactines and hexactine-derived spicules, Sanshapentella can be assigned to Hexactinellida... Sponge body is composed of a stout trunk (usually 10–35 mm in thickness) and four or five conical branches at the top." | |||
Allonnia [1] | Possible stem-group Eumetazoa [13] | Chancelloriida | Chancelloriidae | ![]() | |||
Xianguangia [1] | X. sinica | Stem-group Ctenophora [14] | Dinomischidae | Resolved as being in the monophyletic family Dinomischidae with Daihua and Dinomischus . | |||
Dinomischus [1] | Stem-group Ctenophora [14] | Dinomischidae | |||||
Sphenothallus [1] | Cnidaria | Conulatae | Their shell composition and microstructure indicate relatedness to conulariids [15] | ![]() |
Genus | Species | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ambrolinevitus [1] | Possible stem-group Lophotrochozoa [16] | Hyolitha | |||||
Archotuba [1] | Possible stem-group Lophotrochozoa [16] | Hyolitha | |||||
Burithes [1] | B. yunnanensis | Possible stem-group Lophotrochozoa [16] | Hyolitha | ||||
Qingjianglepas [17] | Q. elegans | Mollusca | Helcionelloida | "Limpet-formed shell, flattened, with elliptical aperture. Radial sculpture of numerous high and narrow primary and secondary ribs, intersecting the concentric growth lines as imbrications. A prominent fold on anterior flank of shell, extending from apical region toward the anterior edge of aperture." | |||
Heliomedusa [1] | H. orienta | stem-group Brachiopoda | Mickwitziidae | Whether Heliomedusa and Mickwitzia are the same genus is debated. [18] | |||
Diandongia [1] | Brachiopoda | Lingulata | Lingulida | Neobolidae [19] | "The generic composition of the Botsfordiidae was recently emended by Popov et al. (2015), who restricted the family to include only genera exhibiting a pitted larval shell, a finely pustulose postlarval shell and lacking well-developed muscle platforms as well as a prominent dorsal median ridge. The linguloid family Neobolidae was reintroduced, encompassing several early Cambrian lingulide genera that previously had been assigned to the Botsfordiidae, including Neobolus and Edreja (Holmer and Popov, 2000). " | ||
Lingulella [1] | Brachiopoda | Lingulata | Lingulida | Obolidae | ![]() |
Genus | Species | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alalcomenaeus [1] | Arthropoda | Megacheira | Leanchoiliida | Leanchoiliidae | ![]() | ||
Branchiocaris [1] | B. yunnanensis | Arthropoda | Hymenocarina | Protocarididae | ![]() | ||
Burgessia [1] | Arthropoda | The affinities of Burgessia are contentious. It may be a basally derived crown-arthropod [20] . | ![]() | ||||
Combinivalvula [1] | C. chengjiangensis | Arthropoda | Sunellidae | The family Sunnellidae includes three genera: Combinivalvula, Sunella , and Jinningella . "Sunellids resemble Isoxys Walcott, 1890 to which they may be closely related; both possess a bivalved, elongated carapace with cardinal spines that almost entirely covers the body. However, neither cephalic appendages nor proximal portions of trunk limbs are visible in sunellids, and thus, their systematic position remains uncertain." [21] | |||
Duplapex [22] | D. anima | Arthropoda | Hymenocarina | Tuzoiidae | "The general morphology of Duplapex gen. nov. clearly indicates affinity with the Family Tuzoiidae, supported by the unmineralized bivalved carapace, reticulate ornamentation, small marginal spines and annulated eye stalks. However, its layered valves are distinguished from those of Tuzoia (the only genus found in the Family Tuzoiidae), and Duplapex has unique ventral notches and doublure spines. These justify the erection of a new genus within the Family Tuzoiidae." | ![]() | |
Estaingia | Arthropoda | Trilobita | Ptychopariida | Estaingiidae | ![]() | ||
Isoxys [23] | I. minor | Arthropoda | Isoxyida | Isoxyidae | I. minor appears to have produced many eggs (approximately 300 per clutch), and egg-bearing individuals were about half the size of adults, indicating r-selection in this species. This is currently the earliest diverging arthropod that displays brood behavior. | ![]() | |
Leanchoilia [1] | Arthropoda | Megacheira | Leanchoiliida | Leanchoiliidae | ![]() | ||
Misszhouia [1] | M. longicaudata | Arthropoda | Nektaspida | Naraoiidae | ![]() | ||
Mollisonia [1] | Arthropoda | Mollisoniida | Stem-group Chelicerata | ![]() | |||
Naraoia [1] | N. spinosa | Arthropoda | Nektaspida | Naraoiidae | ![]() | ||
Redlichia [1] | Arthropoda | Trilobita | Redlichiida | Redlichiidae | ![]() | ||
Sunella [1] | S. grandis | Arthropoda | Sunellidae |
Genus | Species | Clade | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eldonia [1] | Stem-group Ambulacraria [24] | A member of the stem-ambulacrarian clade Cambroernida. | ![]() | |
Yunnanozoon [1] | Possible stem-group Deuterostome [24] | ![]() | ||
Banffia [1] | Possible stem-group Deuterostome [25] | Banffia is a member of the clade Vetulicolia, which may belong to stem-Deuterostomia. | |
Hyoliths are animals with small conical shells, known from fossils from the Palaeozoic era. They are at least considered as being lophotrochozoan, and possibly being lophophorates, a group which includes the brachiopods, while others consider them as being basal lophotrochozoans, or even molluscs.
The Maotianshan Shales (帽天山页岩) are a series of Early Cambrian sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation, famous for their Konservat Lagerstätten, deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organisms or traces. The Maotianshan Shales form one of some forty Cambrian fossil locations worldwide exhibiting exquisite preservation of rarely preserved, non-mineralized soft tissue, comparable to the fossils of the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada. They take their name from Maotianshan Hill in Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province, China.
Amplectobelua is an extinct genus of late Early Cambrian amplectobeluid radiodont, a group of stem arthropods that mostly lived as free-swimming predators during the first half of the Paleozoic Era.
Anomalocarididae is an extinct family of Cambrian radiodonts, a group of stem-group arthropods.
Haplophrentis is a genus of tiny shelled hyolithid which lived in the Cambrian Period. Its shell was long and conical, with the open end protected by an operculum, from which two fleshy arms called helens protruded at the sides. These arms served to elevate the opening of the shells above the sea floor, acting like stilts.
Chancelloria is a genus of early animals known from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale, the Comley limestone, the Wheeler Shale, the Bright Angel Shale and elsewhere. It is named after Chancellor Peak. It was first described in 1920 by Charles Doolittle Walcott, who regarded them as one of the most primitive groups of sponges. However, they are currently thought to be member of the group Chancelloriidae. 178 specimens of Chancelloria are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they comprise 0.34% of the community.
Branchiocaris is an extinct genus of Cambrian bivalved arthropod. The type and best known species, Branchiocaris pretiosa, was described from the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada, in 1929, originally placed in Protocaris, and was placed into its own distinct genus by Briggs in 1976. Several other possible species have been described from Cambrian deposits in China, and it is also possibly known from Cambrian deposits in Utah. Branchiocaris pretiosa is around 80–90 millimetres (3.1–3.5 in) in length, with a highly segmented trunk, consisting of at least 44 ring-like segments, terminating in a forked tail telson. At the front of the animal is a pair of short segmented tapered antennules with at least 20 segments, as well as a pair of claw appendages. It was likely an active swimmer, and used the claw appendages to bring food to the mouth.
Tuzoia is an extinct genus of large bivalved arthropod known from Early to Middle Cambrian marine environments from what is now North America, Australia, China, Europe and Siberia. The large, domed carapace reached lengths of 180 millimetres (7.1 in), making them amongst the largest known Cambrian arthropods.
Chuandianella ovata is an extinct bivalved arthropod that lived during Cambrian Stage 3 of the Early Cambrian. It is the only species classified under the genus Chuandianella. Its fossils were recovered from the Chengjiang Biota in Yunnan, China.
Isoxys is a genus of extinct bivalved Cambrian arthropod; the various species of which are thought to have been freely swimming predators. It had a pair of large spherical eyes, and two large frontal appendages used to grasp prey.
Radiodonta is an extinct order of stem-group arthropods that was successful worldwide during the Cambrian period. They may be referred to as radiodonts, radiodontans, radiodontids, anomalocarids, or anomalocaridids, although the last two originally refer to the family Anomalocarididae, which previously included all species of this order but is now restricted to only a few species. Radiodonts are distinguished by their distinctive frontal appendages, which are morphologically diverse and used for a variety of functions. Radiodonts included the earliest large predators known, but they also included sediment sifters and filter feeders. Some of the most famous species of radiodonts are the Cambrian taxa Anomalocaris canadensis, Hurdia victoria, Peytoia nathorsti, Titanokorys gainessii, Cambroraster falcatus and Amplectobelua symbrachiata, the Ordovician Aegirocassis benmoulai and the Devonian Schinderhannes bartelsi.
Tawuia is a millimetric disc-shaped, most likely multicellular macrofossil from the Neoproterozoic. It is considered to be synonymous with Chuaria and Longfengshania, which, in turn, are thought to represent different life stages of the same organism.
The palaeoscolecids are a group of extinct ecdysozoan worms resembling armoured priapulids. They are known from the Lower Cambrian to the lower Ludfordian ; they are mainly found as disarticulated sclerites, but are also preserved in many of the Cambrian lagerstätten. They take their name from the typifying genus Palaeoscolex. Other genera include Cricocosmia from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang biota. Their taxonomic affinities within Ecdysozoa have been the subject of debate.
Vetulicola cuneata is a species of extinct animal from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota of China. It was described by Hou Xian-guang in 1987 from the Lower Cambrian Chiungchussu Formation, and became the first animal under an eponymous phylum Vetulicolia.
Anabarella is a species of bilaterally-flattened monoplacophoran mollusc, with a morphological similarity to the rostroconchs. Its shell preserves evidence of three mineralogical textures on its outer surface: it is polygonal near the crest of the shell, subsequently changing to both spiny and stepwise. Its internal microstructure is calcitic and semi-nacreous. Its name reflects its provenance from Anabar, Siberia. It has been interpreted as ancestral to the rostroconchs, and has been aligned to the Helcionellidae.
Vetulicola rectangulata is a species of extinct animal from the Early Cambrian of the Chengjiang biota of China. Regarded as a deuterostome, it has characteristic rectangular anterior body on which the posterior tail region is attached. It was described by Luo Huilin and Hu Shi-xue in 1999.
Luohuilinella is an extinct genus of xandarellid artiopodan arthropod known from the Chengjiang biota of China. The type species Luohuilinella rarus was described in 2012. A second species Luohuilinella deletres was described in 2018. Both taxa are rare components of the assemblage. Like other Xandarellids and most artiopodans, it possessed an unmineralised exoskeleton. The type and currently only known specimen of L. rarus is known from a dorsal exoskeleton, around 17 mm long and 9 mm wide which consists of 27 tergites with pronounced pleural spines. L. deletres is much larger, with specimens being over 10 cm long, L. deletres possessed at least 11 pairs of biramous appendages. Both taxa are dorsoventrally flattened, making a benthic or nektobenthic lifestyle probable. Both taxa have pronounced notches in the cephalon to accommodate the stalked eyes.
Robert Riepma Gaines is an American geologist who teaches at Pomona College in Claremont, California. From July 2019 to June 2022, he served as the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the college. He is known for his research on fossils in Burgess Shale-type deposits, having been a member of two teams that made two of the most important fossil discoveries in recent decades, one in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada and the other in the Yangtze Gorges area in South China.
Lenisambulatrix is a genus of extinct worm belonging to the group Lobopodia and known from the Lower Cambrian Maotianshan shale of China. It is represented by a single species L. humboldti. The incomplete fossil was discovered and described by Qiang Ou and Georg Mayer in 2018. Due to its missing parts, its relationship with other lobopodians is not clear. It shares many structural features with another Cambrian lobopodian Diania cactiformis, a fossil of which was found alongside it.
Isoxyids are members of the order Isoxyida and the family Isoxyidae, a group of basal arthropods that existed during the Cambrian period. It contains two genera, Isoxys, with 20 species found worldwide, and Surusicaris known from a single species found in the Burgess Shale of Canada. They are distinguished by their bivalved carapaces and pair of upward curving grasping frontal appendages.