Kuanchuanpu Formation

The Kuanchuanpu Formation, occasionally reclassified as the Kuanchuanpu Member of the Dengying Formation, is a geologic formation located in Shaanxi province in China. It is one of the earliest Cambrian formations, dating right to the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary. This formation preserves numerous meiofauna through Orsten-type preservation.

Paleobiota

Animals

AnimalsGenusSpeciesHigher taxonNotesImagesSaccorhytusS. coronariusEcdysozoaFormerly misidentified as a deuterostome, debated whether it is a scalidophoran larva or an adult ecdysozoanSaccusS. necopinus, S. xixiangensisEcdysozoaMay resemble Saccorhytus as adults?EolympiaE. pediculataincertae sedisAt different points claimed to be a sea anemone, a ctenophore or a scalidophoran worm.EopriapulitesE. sphinxEcdysozoaA basal priapulid or a stem-cycloneuralianDahescolexD. kuanchuanpuensisScalidophoraLikely a stem-scalidophoranZhongpingscolexZ. qinensisKinorhyncha?Possibly a stem-group kinorhynchEokinorhynchusE. rarusKinorhynchaFirst described kinorhynch fossilQinscolexQ. spinosusScalidophoraA stem-scalidophoranShanscolexS. decorusScalidophoraA stem-scalidophoranXinliscolexX. intermediusScalidophoraA stem-scalidophoranFeiyanellaF. manicaCloudinidaeShows dichotomous branching and so likely reproduced asexuallySinasterS. petalonCubozoaLikely a stem-cubozoanHanagyroiaH. orientalisMedusozoaTransitional between scyphozoans and cubozoansPrimocyathusP. uniseriatusArchaeocyathaOne of the earliest known sponges, and the earliest known archaeocyathSinocyathusS. biseriatusArchaeocyathaOne of the earliest known sponges, and the earliest known archaeocyathProtohertzinaP. anabarica, P. unguliformisProtoconodontaAn early protoconodont, included in Small Shelly FossilsAnabaritesA. trisulcatus, A. rotundusAnabaritidaeEnigmatic small shelly fossil, may be related to olivooidsConothecaC. subcurvataOrthothecidaOne of the earliest hyolith fossils knownSiphogonuchitesS. mirus, S. triangularisSiphogonuchitidaSclerite of a possible early mollusc?LopochitesL. quadrigonus, L. latizonalisSiphogonuchitidaSclerite of a possible early mollusc?MaikhanellaM. multaHalkieriida?Cap-like shell, possibly of an early mollusc?CarinachitesC. spinatus, C. platusConulataeCnidarian sclerite, related to the conulariidsAcanthocassisA. orthacanthusincertae sedisMay be cuticular ornaments?XinlispinaX. spinosaincertae sedisMay be cuticular ornaments?CambrothyraC. truncata"Coeloscleritophora"Resembles chancelloriid scleritesHexaconulariaH. spConulariida?An SSF allied with conulariidsPunctatusP. emeiensisEumetazoaA well-studied fossil from Kuanchuanpu, may not be a cnidarian?OlivooidesO. multisulcatusOlivooidaePossibly a cnidarian, but may be a cycloneuralian insteadQuadrapyrgitesQ. quadratacrisOlivooidae?Related to Olivooides and Punctatus, likely a scyphozoanOctapyrgitesO. elongatusOlivooidaeA very large olivooidQinscyphusQ. necopinusScyphozoaUnderwent direct developmentEolarvaE. kuanchuanpuensisCnidaria?Originally described as a cnidarian larva, but reassigned to EcdysozoaPseudooidesP. primaCnidariaOriginally thought to be a scalidophoran larvaDecimoconulariaD. anisfacialisHexangulaconulariidaeFormerly assigned to HexaconulariaIndeterminate limbed formsUnapplicableBilateriaPossibly lobopodians or annelids, preserved unusually through microbial colonisationEmeiconulariaE. amplicanalisHexangulaconulariidae

Microbes and Algae

Microbes and AlgaeGenusSpeciesHigher taxonNotesImagesCalathophycusC. irregulatusDiaphoretickes incertae sedisIndeterminate cup-shaped alga, may be a fragment of a Dictyosphaeria-like form?MyxococcoidesM. spCyanobacteriaMat-forming coccoid cyanobacteriumGloeodiniopsisG. lamelloseChroococcaceaeCoccoid cyanobacteriumSiphonophycusS. solidum, S. typicum, S. cf. septatumOscillatorialesFilamentous cyanobacteriumEndoconchia??E. spincertae sedisFilaments growing on the inside of shelled faunaPalaeosiphonellaP. spCyanobacteriaFilamentous cyanobacteriumMegathrixM. longusOscillatoriaceaeFilamentous cyanobacteriumGirvanellaG. problematica, G. wetherediiOscillatoriaceaeFilamentous cyanobacteria, formed small irregular matsCambricodiumC. capilloidesRivulariaceaeLarge filamentous cyanobacterium with a holdfastArchaeooidesA. granulatusDiaphoretickesFormerly thought to be an animal eggShaanisphaeraS. spinosaDiaphoretickesSeparated out from ArchaeooidesQinlingisphaeraQ. conicaDiaphoretickesSeparated out from ArchaeooidesDahisphaeraD. planaDiaphoretickesSeparated out from ArchaeooidesConcavaesphaeraC. ornataEukaryota incertae sedisMulticellular acritarch, likely an independent evolution of multicellularity

References