A new species of the deuterostome Herpetogaster from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota of South China

Xianfeng Yang,Bruce S Lieberman,Julien Kimmig,Shanchi Peng

doi:10.1007/s00114-020-01695-w

Abstract

The Cambrian radiation represents a key time period in the history of life. Here, we add to the mounting evidence accumulating on the nature of deuterostomes from this time period through description of a new species of stalked deuterostome, Herpetogaster haiyanensis nov. sp., from the lower Cambrian (series 2, stage 3) Chengjiang biota of China. This represents the first occurrence of the genus in Gondwana, the first juvenile specimen, and the oldest specimens to date. Herpetogaster haiyanensis nov. sp. differs from H. collinsi Caron et al. (2010) in having a stolon that is separated into an outer and inner layer, the segmentation of the body and in the shape and number of branches of the tentacles. The new species reiterates earlier suggestions of deuterostome affinities of the genus―it appears closely related to Phlogites and then successively more distantly related to Cotyledon and Eldonia―and may have fed on hyolithids.

Highlights

The lower Cambrian Chengjiang biota of China is an exceptionally diverse Burgess Shale-type (BST)Communicated by: Julien Denayer 37 Page 2 of 8Sci Nat (2020) 107: 37 of Cambrian BST deposits)
We add to the list of genera shared between the Chengjiang and Laurentian BST deposits by reporting on a new species of the stalked deuterostome Herpetogaster, Herpetogaster haiyanensis nov. sp
To date 2846 specimens have been collected from the Haiyan locality, comprising at least 126 taxa belonging to 12 phyla

Summary

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Sci Nat (2020) 107: 37 of Cambrian BST deposits). Here we add to the list of genera shared between the Chengjiang and Laurentian BST deposits by reporting on a new species of the stalked deuterostome Herpetogaster, Herpetogaster haiyanensis nov. sp. The 35 cm slab, preserving the fossils described is collected from the lowermost part of a new site hosting abundant soft-bodied fossils of the Chengjiang biota, referred to as the Haiyan section (Fig. 1a). Occurrence Chiungchussu Formation, Yu’anshan Member, lower Cambrian (series 2, stage 3), Eoredlichia-Wutingaspis biozone, Haiyan section near Kunming, Yunnan Province, South China. The specimens are laterally compressed and composed of a sub-cylindrical body separated into a head, with tentacles emerging from it, and a trunk that comprises about three-quarters of the total body length. The holotype (Fig. 2c) is complete and 21-mm long in dorso-ventral view, including the tentacles and stolon, with the tentacles representing one-third (7 mm) of the length of the specimen. The lines are preserved on the dorsal and ventral sides (Fig. 2c, g), suggesting 360° annulation

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Conclusions

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