The long-ranging macroalga Grypania spiralis from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation, Guizhou, South China

Abstract

Wang, Y., Wang, Y. & Du, W., February 2016. The long-ranging macroalga Grypania spiralis from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation, Guizhou, South China. Alcheringa 40, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518Grypania spiralis (Walcott) Walter et al., a macroalga previously reported in pre-Ediacaran successions, has been collected, together with abundant macrofossils (i.e., the Wenghui biota), from black shales of the upper Doushantuo Formation (ca 593 to 551 Ma) in northeastern Guizhou, South China. Morphologically, G. spiralis represents a carbonaceous ribbon with a continuum of forms from coiled to nearly straight. Its helicoid main body might have been suspended in the water column for photosynthesis with one end anchored or nestled into soft sediments. Grypania possessed morphological stability, and its habit endowed great competitiveness for sunlight. Remarkably, it did not change significantly in size or morphology over more than 1200 Myrs.Ye Wang [gboywangye@126.com], School of Earth Sciences and Resources, PR China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, PR China; Yue Wang [gzyuewang@126.com] (corresponding author), School of Resources and Environments, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550003, PR China; Wei Du [duwei@ea.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp], Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan.