The Qingjiang biota are a major discovery of fossilized remains dating from the early Cambrian period approximately 518 million years ago. The remains consist at least 20,000 individual specimens, and were discovered near the Danshui River in the Hubei province of China in 2019. The site is particularly notable due to both the large proportion of new taxa represented (approximately 53% of the specimens), 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 jellyfish. Shelly fossils found at the site include trilobites, radiodonts, lobopods, bradoriids, brachiopods, hyolithids, mollusks, chancelloriids, kinorhynchs, priapulids, and articulated sponge spicules.
The site is a Burgess Shale type preservation, and has been widely compared 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. Initial publications regarding the site stated that 4,351 of the collected specimens had been examined, and 101 species had been identified, 53 of which were new to science.
Talks are reportedly underway with local government to protect the site to ensure the longevity of continued research on the deposited specimens.
List of taxa
Bacteria Genus Species Phylum Notes Image Qingjiangonema 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."
Eukaryota incertae sedis Genus Notes Image Chuaria 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)."
Algae Genus Species Clade Notes Image Megaspirellus? 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. Qingjiangthallus 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 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."
Non-bilaterian animals Genus Species Phylum Class Order Family Notes Image Choia Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Choiidae Crumillospongia Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Hazeliidae Halichondrites Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Halichondritidae Hazelia Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Hazeliidae Leptomitella Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Leptomitus Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Leptomitidae Paraleptomitella Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Leptomitidae Saetaspongia Porifera Demospongiae Protomonaxonida Sanshapentella 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 Possible stem-group Eumetazoa Chancelloriida Chancelloriidae Xianguangia X. sinica Stem-group Ctenophora Dinomischidae Resolved as being in the monophyletic family Dinomischidae with Daihua and Dinomischus. Dinomischus Stem-group Ctenophora Dinomischidae Sphenothallus Cnidaria Conulatae Their shell composition and microstructure indicate relatedness to conulariids
Spiralia Genus Species Phylum Class Order Family Notes Image Ambrolinevitus Possible stem-group Lophotrochozoa Hyolitha Archotuba Possible stem-group Lophotrochozoa Hyolitha Burithes B. yunnanensis Possible stem-group Lophotrochozoa Hyolitha Qingjianglepas 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 H. orienta stem-group Brachiopoda Mickwitziidae Whether Heliomedusa and Mickwitzia are the same genus is debated. Diandongia Brachiopoda Lingulata Lingulida Neobolidae "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 Brachiopoda Lingulata Lingulida Obolidae
Ecdysozoa Genus Species Phylum Class Order Family Notes Image Alalcomenaeus Arthropoda Megacheira Leanchoiliida Leanchoiliidae Amplectobelua?ArthropodaRadiodontaAmplectobeluidae Branchiocaris B. yunnanensis Arthropoda Hymenocarina Protocarididae Burgessia Arthropoda The affinities of Burgessia are contentious. It may be a basally derived crown-arthropod. Combinivalvula 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." Duplapex D. anima Arthropoda Hymenocarina Tuzoiidae "... its layered valves are distinguished from those of Tuzoia, 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 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. Kuanyangaspis Arthropoda Trilobita Leanchoilia Arthropoda Megacheira Leanchoiliida Leanchoiliidae Liangshanella Arthropoda Bradoriida Misszhouia M. longicaudata Arthropoda Nektaspida Naraoiidae Mollisonia Arthropoda Mollisoniida Stem-group Chelicerata Naraoia N. spinosa Arthropoda Nektaspida Naraoiidae Redlichia Arthropoda Trilobita Redlichiida Redlichiidae StanleycarisS. qingjiangensisArthropodaRadiodontaHurdiidae Sunella S. grandis Arthropoda Sunellidae
Deuterostomes Genus Species Clade Notes Image Eldonia Stem-group Ambulacraria A member of the stem-ambulacrarian clade Cambroernida. Yunnanozoon Possible stem-group Deuterostome Banffia Possible stem-group Deuterostome Banffia is a member of the clade Vetulicolia, which may belong to stem-Deuterostomia.
See also
Maotianshan Shales Guanshan biota
References