Yunnanozoon

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Yunnanozoon
Temporal range: Early cambrian
File:Yunnanozoon Alone.png
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Superphylum:
Phylum:
Genus:
Yunnanozoon
Binomial name
Yunnanozoon lividum
Chen et al., 1995

Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Yunnanozoon lividum ("Livid Animal of Yunnan") is an extinct deuterostome suspected of being either a hemichordate[1] or chordate,[2] from the Lower Cambrian, Chengjiang biota of Yunnan province, China.

Yunnanozoon is similar to the form Haikouella[3] which is almost certainly a chordate. Still, there are anatomical differences from Haikouella, including a smaller stomach and much larger (1 mm) pharyngeal teeth. It is by no means certain whether Yunannozoon possessed features such as a heart, gills, etc., which are seen in well-preserved specimens of Haikouella. Yunnanozoon somewhat resembles the Middle Cambrian Pikaia from the Burgess shale of British Columbia in Canada. Thirteen pairs of symmetrically arranged gonads have been identified, as have possible gill slits. However, some authors think that Yunnanozoon is closely related to the chordate Haikouella and that Yunnanozoon is probably a chordate rather than a hemichordate. A close relationship between Yunnanozoon and the taxon Vetulicolia has also been proposed.

See also

References

  1. Shu, D., Zhang, X. and Chen, L. 1996. Reinterpretation of Yunnanozoon as the earliest known hemichordate, Nature. 380:428–430 (4 April 1996). [1] – accessed 3 December 2005
  2. J. J. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1–560
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

<templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>

<templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>