The Lakhanda Group is a group of late Mesoproterozoic formations from Siberia. It contains several of the earliest eukaryotes which can be placed into modern groups, including the earliest xanthophyte algae, fungi and possibly even the first animals.
Paleobiota
Paleobiota PaleobiotaGenusSpeciesNotesImagesPalaeovaucheriaP. clavataFilamentous xanthophyte alga.AimonemaA. ramosaFilamentous fungus, possibly within Ascomycota. May be related to nematophagous fungi, and may even have had a similar lifestyle due to possible worm-like fossils also being found in Lakhanda.MucoritesM. ripheicusFungal zygospores, possibly within Mucorales?EosaccharomycesE. ramosusFungal fossils, likely related to modern yeast.MycosphaeroidesM. aggregatusMaterial consists of amoeboid aggregations and individual cells, the genus is likely related to Myxomycetes.Fungi indet.UnapplicableSimilar to the Canadian OurasphairaRugosoopsisR. tenuisPossible vermiform animal, earliest record of Animalia if this is true.Porifera? indet.UnapplicableMicrofossils similar to sponges (more specifically members of Hexactinellida), found on numerous other taxa from the site.LomentunellaL. vaginataMulticellular alga, similar to the modern Ulothrix.PalmellaP. spEnigmatic fossilEosolenaE. anisocyta E. loculosaEnigmatic filamentous fossil, member of the clade EosolenidesElateraE. binata E. rotundata E. unistriataEnigmatic filamentous fossil, member of the clade EosolenidesItirindaI. insueta I. decliva I. saccata I. renariaEnigmatic budding fossil, claimed to have affinities to hydrozoan polypsCaudosphaeraC. expansaSporangium-like fossilGerminosphaeraG. bispinosaSporangium-like fossilJacutinemaJ. solubilaSporangium-like fossilSiphonophycusS. typicus S. kestronCyanobacteriaPolytrichoidesP. lineatusCyanobacteriaPalaeolyngbyaP. spCyanobacteriaChuariaC. spWidespread enigmatic fossilLakhandiaL. spAcritarchTrachyhystricosphaeraT. aimikaAcritarchMajasphaeridiumM. lakhandinium M. carpogenumAcritarchRadiatosphaeraR. solida R. glumaceaAcritarchCypandiniaC. supracompositaAcritarchValeriaV. lophostriataAcritarchFabiformisF. porosusColonial microbes, possibly bacteria?
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