Thaumaptilon
Encyclopedia
Thaumaptilon is a fossil from the middle Cambrian
Burgess Shale
which some authors have compared to members of the Ediacaran biota, generally believed to have disappeared at the start of the Cambrian, . It was up to 20 cm long, and attached itself to the sea floor with a holdfast
.
Leaf-shaped, Thaumaptilon had a central axis extending to its tip, with many "ribs" radiating from it, in a similar manner to the ribs of a leaf. these may have had canals connecting them to the axis. One side of its surface was covered in spots, which might have been zooid
s.
Thaumaptilon is considered important due to its resemblance to some Ediacarans; it was believed to be a relative of forms such as Charnia
.
Forms related to Charnia where once believed to be related to sea-pens
(pennatulacean cnidarians), although this hypothesis has been questioned based on several lines of evidence.
The name Thaumaptilon derives from the Greek Thauma, "wonderful", + ptilion, "soft feather".
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
Burgess Shale
Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale Formation, located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, and the best of its kind. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils...
which some authors have compared to members of the Ediacaran biota, generally believed to have disappeared at the start of the Cambrian, . It was up to 20 cm long, and attached itself to the sea floor with a holdfast
Holdfast
A holdfast is a root-like structure that anchors aquatic sessile organisms, such as seaweed, other sessile algae, stalked crinoids, benthic cnidarians, and sponges, to the substrate. ...
.
Leaf-shaped, Thaumaptilon had a central axis extending to its tip, with many "ribs" radiating from it, in a similar manner to the ribs of a leaf. these may have had canals connecting them to the axis. One side of its surface was covered in spots, which might have been zooid
Zooid
A zooid or zoöid is a single animal that is part of a colonial animal. The zooids can either be directly connected by tissue or share a common exoskeleton...
s.
Thaumaptilon is considered important due to its resemblance to some Ediacarans; it was believed to be a relative of forms such as Charnia
Charnia
Charnia is the genus name given to a frond-like Ediacaran lifeform with segmented ridges branching alternately to the right and left from a zig-zag medial suture. The genus Charnia was named after Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire, England, where the first fossilised specimen was found.- Diversity...
.
Forms related to Charnia where once believed to be related to sea-pens
Sea pen
Sea pens are colonial marine cnidarians belonging to the order Pennatulacea. There are 14 families within the order; they are thought to have a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and temperate waters worldwide...
(pennatulacean cnidarians), although this hypothesis has been questioned based on several lines of evidence.
The name Thaumaptilon derives from the Greek Thauma, "wonderful", + ptilion, "soft feather".