Phosphatized rare star-like mouth disc of Punctatus and its functional morphology from the earliest Cambrian of the South Shaanxi China

Abstract

The Meishucun stage is the prelude in deciphering the Cambrian Explosion. In this prominent stage, rapid radioactive evolution and body-plan innovation have taken place and different associations of organism have been shaped. In this paper we report several 3D-preserved rare star-like fossils with finely preserved soft tissues which were recovered from the Kuanchuanpu Member of the Dengying Formation in South Shaanxi, China in 2003. By studying on functional morphology and analogy with mouthpart of Punctatus, there are evidences that this star-like organism approaches the coelenterates in systematic classification and the centre of star-like organism is its mouth. The appearance of coelenterates marks the real beginning of metazoan evolution. Therefore, it has the prominent position in the origin and evolutionary history of organisms. Perhaps the star-like organism represents the early types of coelenterate with original tentacles. These new materials provide new evidence for the origin, evolution and the functional evolution of the metazoan during the early stage of the Cambrian Explosion.