Vetulocystis

Vetulocystis Temporal range: 518–513  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Early Cambrian
Vetulocystis catenata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Clade:	† Vetulocystida
Family:	† Vetulocystidae
Genus:	† Vetulocystis Shu et al., 2004
Type species
†Vetulocystis catenata Shu et al., 2004

Vetulocystis is an extinct genus of the family Vetulocystidae. It was found in the Maotianshan Shales, which date to roughly 518 mya. ^{[1] [2]}

Etymology

From the latin vetus (old), plus "cystidae" referencing the bag-like shape. The specific name is from the latin catena, meaning chain, as a pun on the fossil as a missing link. ^[3]

Description

Vetulocystis is distinguished from Dianchicystis by a widening, rather than tapering, "tail" (posterior section). ^[4] The posterior section appears to be divided into two. The anterior cone is pyramidal with over 50 articulated platelets. The posterior cone is pyramidal with many ribs. ^[3]

Phylogeny

^{[ citation needed ]}

Vetulocystidae	Dianchicystis Vetulocystis Thylacocercus

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References

1. Hou et al. 2017 , p. 268
2. Clausen et al. 2010 , p. 138
3. Shu et al. 2004 , p. 422
4. Shu 2005 , p. 2352

Works cited

• Clausen, Sébastien; Hou, Xian-Guang; Bergström, Jan; Franzén, Christina (2010). "The absence of echinoderms from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang fauna of China: Palaeoecological and palaeogeographical implications". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 294 (3): 133–141. Bibcode:2010PPP...294..133C. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2010.01.001.
• Hou, Xian-guang; Siveter, David J.; Siveter, Derek J.; Aldridge, Richard J.; Cong, Pei-yun; Gabbott, Sarah; Ma, Xiao-ya; Purnell, Mark A.; Williams, Mark (2017). "Bilateria of Uncertain Affinity". The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjiang, China: The Flowering of Early Animal Life (2 ed.). pp. 264–271. doi:10.1002/9781118896372.ch25.
• Shu, Degan (October 2005). "On the Phylum Vetulicolia" . Chinese Science Bulletin. 50: 2342–2354. doi:10.1007/BF03183746 . Retrieved 1 October 2024.
• Shu, D.-G.; Conway Morris, S.; Han, J.; Zhang, Z.-F.; Liu, J.-N. (2004). "Ancestral echinoderms from the Chengjiang deposits of China" . Nature. 430 (6998): 422–428. Bibcode:2004Natur.430..422S. doi:10.1038/nature02648. PMID   15269760. S2CID   4421182.