Parvancorina
Encyclopedia
Parvancorina is a genus
of shield-shaped Ediacaran
fossils. It has a raised ridge down the central axis of symmetry. This ridge can be high in unflattened fossil
s. At the 'head' end of the ridge there are two quarter circle shaped raised arcs attached. In front of this are two nested semicircular lines. Teeth seem to come from the raised parts pointing into the centre spaces. These may show as raised lines. The fossils are normally about 1 cm in each of width and length, but can be up to 2 cm. The fossil is found mainly on the White Sea
Coast, Russia
.
Parvancorina has compared with the Skania fragilis from the Burgess Shale Biota
, Canada
, and Primicaris larvaformis from the Chengjiang Biota, China
is the Cambrian
trilobite
-like arthropods.
However, Parvancorina growth form is unusual for an arthropod, and its apparent mode of life appears to rebut an arthropodan affinity.
The organisms typically lived with their "heads" parallel to the current direction, although overfolding of the fossils from all sides contradicts any form of stalked attachment to the sea floor.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of shield-shaped Ediacaran
Ediacaran
The Ediacaran Period , named after the Ediacara Hills of South Australia, is the last geological period of the Neoproterozoic Era and of the Proterozoic Eon, immediately preceding the Cambrian Period, the first period of the Paleozoic Era and of the Phanerozoic Eon...
fossils. It has a raised ridge down the central axis of symmetry. This ridge can be high in unflattened fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s. At the 'head' end of the ridge there are two quarter circle shaped raised arcs attached. In front of this are two nested semicircular lines. Teeth seem to come from the raised parts pointing into the centre spaces. These may show as raised lines. The fossils are normally about 1 cm in each of width and length, but can be up to 2 cm. The fossil is found mainly on the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
Coast, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Parvancorina has compared with the Skania fragilis from the Burgess Shale Biota
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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Primicaris larvaformis from the Chengjiang Biota, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
is the Cambrian
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...
trilobite
Trilobite
Trilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period , and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before...
-like arthropods.
However, Parvancorina growth form is unusual for an arthropod, and its apparent mode of life appears to rebut an arthropodan affinity.
The organisms typically lived with their "heads" parallel to the current direction, although overfolding of the fossils from all sides contradicts any form of stalked attachment to the sea floor.