Basal Cambrian soft-bodied segmented bilaterians preserved as microbial pseudomorphs
Yang, X.; Wang, D.; Zhang, Z.; Wang, X.; Sun, J.; Hao, W.; Liu, Y.; Uesugi, K.; Komiya, T.; Han, J.
Show abstract
Before Cambrian Stage 3, unambiguous body fossils of segmented bilaterians were rare, severely hampering our understanding of the early history of such important animals. Here we report a variety of microfossils with quintessential features such as paired appendages, dorsoventral and anteroposterior differentiations from the basal Cambrian Fortunian of South China, representing the earliest known three-dimensional body fossils of segmented bilaterians. These fossils were all microbial pseudomorphs built up by secondarily phosphatized bacteria aggregations, testifying microbial pseudomorph could serve as a novel and important pathway to preserve tiny, fragile bilaterian progenitors. This finding unveils a diversified segmented bilaterian world at the very beginning of Cambrian and would arouse a more comprehensive perspective on the early evolution of bilaterian body plans.
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