Chengjiang biota

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The Chengjiang biota comprises an extremely diverse faunal assembly, with some 185 species described in the literature as of June, 2006. Of these, nearly half are arthropods, few of which had hard, mineral-reinforced exoskeletons. Only about 3% of the organisms known from Chengjiang have hard shells, and most of those are the trilobites of which there are five species. All species of Chengjiang trilobites have been found with traces of legs, antennae, and other soft body parts, an exceedingly rare occurrence in the fossil record. The phyla Porifera (15 species) and Priapulida (16 species) are also well represented. Other phyla represented are Brachiopoda, Chaetognatha, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Echinodermata, Hyolitha, Nematomorpha, Phoronida, Protista, and Chordata. About one in eight animals are problematic forms of uncertain affinity, some of which may have been evolutionary experiments that survived for only a brief period as benthic environments rapidly changed in the Cambrian. Chengjiang is the richest source of the Lobopoda, often considered a distinct phylum, with six species represented: Luolishania, Paucipodia, Cardiodictyon, Hallucigenia (also known from the Burgess Shale), Microdictyon, and Onychodictyon.

Perhaps the most important fossils from Chengjiang are eight putative members of phylum Chordata, the phylum to which all vertebrates belong. The most famous is Myllokunmingia, possibly a very primitive agnathid (i.e., jawless fish). The enigmatic Yunnanozoon lividum is considered to be the earliest hemichordate, possessing many of the characteristic chordate features and providing an anatomical link between invertebrates and chordates. Haikouella lanceolata is described to be the earliest craniate-like chordate. This fish-like animal has many similarities to Yunnanozoon lividum, but also differs in several aspects: it has a discernible heart, dorsal and ventral aorta, gill filaments, and a notochord (neural chord). Similar to Myllokunmingia, Haikouichthys ercaicunensis is another fish-like primitive, fish-like animal.

Originally described as crustacean arthropods, Shu et al. (2001) later erected the Vetulicolia as a new phylum of primitive deuterostomes that is represented by seven species from Chengjiang. Another researcher places them with the urochordates based on putative affinity with the Phylum Chordata. At present, there is no agreement as to their systematic placement. They are thought to have been swimmers that either were filter feeders or detritivores.

Some two dozen animals from the Chengjiang biota are problematic regarding phylogenetic assignment. Among these, Anomalocaris saron, the alleged predatory terror of the early Cambrian is the most famous. Shu (2006) recently described Stromatoveris psygmoglena as a possible bilateran missing link between Ediacaran fronds and Cambrian ctenophore.

[edit] List of Chengjiang Biota Species by Phylum

Phylum Arthropoda - 77 species

  • Acanthomeridion serratum
  • Alalcomenaeus
  • Almenia spinosa
  • Apiocephalus elegans
  • Branchiocaris yunnanensis
  • Canadaspis laevigata
  • Chengjiangocaris longiformis
  • Chuandianella ovata
  • Cindarella eucalla
  • Clypecaris pteroidea
  • Combinivalvula chengjiangensis
  • Comptaluta inflata
  • Comptulata leshanensis
  • Cyathocepalus bispinosus
  • Dianchia mirabilis
  • Diplopyge forcipatus
  • Diplopyge minutus
  • Dongshanocaris foliiformis
  • Ercaia minuscula
  • Ercaicunia multinodosa
  • Forfexicaris valida
  • Forticeps foliosa
  • Fuxianhuia protensa
  • Glossocaris occulatus
  • Haikoucaris ercaiensis
  • Isoxys auritus
  • Isoxys curvirostratus
  • Isoxys paradoxus
  • Jianfengia multisegmentalis
  • Jianshania furcatus
  • Jiucunella paulula
  • Kuamaia lata
  • Kuamaia muricata
  • Kuanyangia pustulosa
  • Kunmingella angustacostata
  • Kunmingella douvillei
  • Kunmingella guanshanensis
  • Kunmingocaris bispinosus
  • Kunyangella cheni
  • Leanchoilia asiatica
  • Leanchoilia illecebrosa
  • Liangshanella liangshenensis
  • Mafangia subscalaria
  • Mafangocaris multinodus
  • Malongella bituerculata
  • Occacaris oviformis
  • Odaraia eurypetala
  • Ovalicephalis mirabilis
  • Parakunmingella malongensis
  • Parapaleomerus sinensis
  • Pectocaris spatiosa
  • Petalilium latus
  • Panlongia spinosa
  • Panlongia tetranudosa
  • Pisinnocaris subconigera
  • Primicaris larvaformis
  • Pseudoiulia cambriensis
  • Pterotum triacanthus
  • Pygmaclypeatus daiensis
  • Rectifacies abnormalis
  • Rhombicalvaria acanthi
  • Saperion glumaceum
  • Sidneyia sinica
  • Sinoburius lunaris
  • Skioldia aldna
  • Spinokunmingella typical
  • Sunella grandis
  • Squamacula clypeata
  • Syrrhaptis intestinalis
  • Urokodia aequalis
  • Tanglangia caudata
  • Trigoides aclis
  • Tsunydiscus aclis
  • Tsunyiella daindongensis
  • Tuzoia sinensis - a phyllocarid
  • Waptia ovata
  • Wutingella binodosa
  • Xandarella spectaculum
  • Yiliangocaris ellipticus
  • Yunnanocaris megista

Phylum Arthropoda - Arachnomorpha - 2 species

  • Naraoia [=Misszhouia] longicaudata
  • Naraoia spinosa

Phylum Arthropoda - Class Trilobita - 5 species

  • Eoredlichia intermedia; Family Redlichiidae
  • Kuanyangia pustulosa; Family Redlichiidae
  • Wutingaspis tingi; Family Redlichiidae
  • Yunnanocephalus yunnanensis; Family Yunnanocephalidae
  • Palaeolenus lantenoisi; Family Palaeolenidae

Phylum Brachiopoda - 5 species

  • Diandongia pista
  • Heliomedusa orienta
  • Lingulella chengjiangensis
  • Lingulellotreta malongensis
  • Longtancunella chengjiangensis

Phylum Chaetognatha - 1 species

  • Eognathacantha ercainella

Phylum Cnidaria - 2 species

  • Priscapennamarina angusta
  • Xianguangia sinica

Phylum Chordata - 8 species

Phylum Ctenophora - 3 species

  • Maotianoascus octonarius
  • Sinoascus paillatus
  • Stromatoveris psygmoglena

Phylum Echinodermata - 1 species

  • Cotyledion tylodes

Enigmatic - 24 species

  • Allonnia phrixothrix
  • Amiskwia sinica
  • Anthrotum robustus
  • Batofasciculus ramificans
  • Cambrotentacus sanwuia
  • Conicula straita
  • Dinomischus venustus
  • Discoides abnormalis
  • Eldonia eumorpha
  • Facivermis yunnanicus - Putative Lobopod (Liu, 2006)
  • Hippotrum spinatus
  • Jiucunia petalina
  • Maanshania crusticeps
  • Macrocephalus elongates
  • Parvulonoda dubia
  • Phacatrum tubifer
  • Phasangula striata
  • Phlogites brevis
  • Phlogites longus
  • Priscapennamarina angusta
  • Pristitoites bifarius
  • Rhipitrus calvifer
  • Rotadiscus grandis
  • Yunnanozoon lividum - earliest known hemichordate

Phylum Hyolitha - 8 species

  • Ambrolinevitus maximus
  • Ambrolinevitus platypluteus
  • Ambrolinevitus ventricosus
  • Burithes yunnanensis
  • Glossolithes magnus
  • Linevitus billingsi
  • Linevitus flabellaris
  • Linevitus opimus

Phylum Lobopoda - 6 species

  • Cardiodictyon catenulum
  • Hallucigenia fortis
  • Luolishania longicruris
  • Microdictyon sinicum
  • Onychodictyon ferox
  • Paucipodia inermis

Phylum Nematomorpha - 3 species

  • Cricocosmia jinningensis
  • Maotianshania cylindrica
  • Palaeoscolex sinensis

Phylum Phoronida - 1 species

  • Iotuba chengjiangensis

Phylum Porifera - 15 species

  • Allantospongia mica
  • Choia xiaolantianensis
  • Choiaella radiata
  • Hazelia sp.
  • Leptomitella confusa
  • Leptomitella conica
  • Leptomitella metta
  • Leptomitus teretiusculus
  • Paraleptomitella dictyodroma
  • Paraleptomitella globula
  • Quadrolaminiella crassa
  • Quadrolaminiella diagonalis
  • Saetaspongia densa
  • Sinfoflabrum antiquum
  • Triticispongia diagonata

Kingdom Protista (algae) - 4 species

  • Fuxianospira gyrata
  • Megaspirellus houi
  • Sinocylindra yunnanensis
  • Yuknessia sp.

Phylum Priapulida - 16 species

  • Acosmia maotiania
  • Archotuba conoidalis
  • Corynetis brevis
  • Gantoucunia aspera
  • Lagenula triolata
  • Oligonodus specialis
  • Paraselkirkia jinningensis
  • Palaeopriapulites parvus
  • Protopriapulites haikouensis
  • Sandaokania latinodosa
  • Selkirkia elongata
  • Selkirkia sinica
  • Sicyophorus rarus
  • Xiaoheiqingella peculiaris
  • Xishania longgiusula
  • Yunnanopriapulus halteroformis

Phylum Uncertain - 4 species

  • Amplectobelua symbrachiata
  • Anomalocaris saron
  • Cucumericrus decoratus
  • Parapeytoia yunnanensis

Phylum Vetulicolia - 7 species

[edit] References

  • Conway-Morris, S. (2003). The Cambrian "explosion" of metazoans and molecular biology: would Darwin be satisfied? Int J Dev Biol, 47(7-8), 505-515.
  • Fossils of the Chengjiang Maotianshan Shale - URL retrieved Septermber 20 2006
  • Hou, Xian-Guang; Aldridge, Richard J., Bengstrom, Jan; Siveter, David J. ;Feng, Xiang-Hong 2004; The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjang, China, Blackwell Science Ltd, 233 pp.
  • Liu J, Han J, Simonettaa M, Hu S, Zhang Z, Yao Y and Shu Degan (2006) New observations of the lobopod-like worm Facivermis from the early cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte, Chinese Science Bulletin 51(3) ISSN 1001-6538
  • Preservation, Taphonomy and Palaeoecology of the Chengjiang Biota - URL retrieved Septermber 20 2006
  • Shu, D-G; Luo, H-L; Conway Morris, S.; Zhang X-L; Hu, S-X; Chen, L. ;Han, J.; Zhu, M.;Li, Y; Chen, L-Z 1999, Lower Cambrian Vertebrates from South China, Nature 402 pp 42-46.
  • Shu, D. G., Morris, S. C., Han, J., Chen, L., Zhang, X. L., Zhang, Z. F., et al. (2001). Primitive deuterostomes from the Chengjiang Lagerstatte (Lower Cambrian, China). Nature, 414(6862), 419-424.
  • Shu, D., Morris, S. C., Zhang, Z. F., Liu, J. N., Han, J., Chen, L., et al. (2003). A new species of yunnanozoan with implications for deuterostome evolution. Science, 299(5611), 1380-1384.
  • Shu, D. G., Morris, S. C., Han, J., Zhang, Z. F., & Liu, J. N. (2004). Ancestral echinoderms from the Chengjiang deposits of China. Nature, 430(6998), 422-428.
  • Shu, D. G., Morris, S. C., Han, J., Li, Y., Zhang, X. L., Hua, H., et al. (2006). Lower Cambrian vendobionts from China and early diploblast evolution. Science, 312(5774), 731-734.
  • Waloszek, D., & Maas, A. (2005). The evolutionary history of crustacean segmentation: a fossil-based perspective. Evol Dev, 7(6), 515-527.
  • Xian-guang, H., Aldridge, R. J., Siveter, D. J., & Xiang-hong, F. (2002). New evidence on the anatomy and phylogeny of the earliest vertebrates. Proc Biol Sci, 269(1503), 1865-1869.
  • Zhang, X. G., & Hou, X. G. (2004). Evidence for a single median fin-fold and tail in the Lower Cambrian vertebrate, Haikouichthys ercaicunensis. J Evol Biol, 17(5), 1162-1166.


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