Shankouclava

Shankouclava
Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3 520 Ma
↓
Restoration of S. anningense.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Subphylum:Tunicata
Genus:†Shankouclava
Chen et al., 2003
Type species
†Shankouclava anningense
Chen et al., 2003
Species
  • †S. anningense Chen et al., 2003
  • †S. shankouense Chen et al., 2003

Shankouclava is a extinct genus of tunicate. It represents the oldest genus of tunicates, of 520 million years ago. It has been found in the Lower Cambrian Maotianshan Shale at Shankou village, Anning, near Kunming (South China). Each of the eight specimens found and used for description were isolated, suggesting that the genus was solitary and not colonial. The generic name is composed of the fossil locality, Shankou, and the Latin word clava (club-shaped).[1]

Shankouclava had a soft and sac-like body, though elongated and pointed proximally. The body lengths of individuals vary from 2 cm (0.8 in) to 4 cm (1.6 in).[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Chen, Jun-Yuan; Huang, Di-Ying; Peng, Qing-Qing; Chi, Hui-Mei; Wang,Xiu-Qiang; Feng, Man (2003). "The first tunicate from the Early Cambrian of South China". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (14): 8314–8318. doi:10.1073/pnas.1431177100. PMC 166226. PMID 12835415.


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