Until now, the earliest fossil echinoderms have been predominantly known from the early Cambrian of Laurentia and West Gondwana. Here, we describe Sprinkleoglobus extenuatus gen. et sp. nov. from the Chengjiang biota (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 3) of Yunnan Province, China. The overall profile of the theca and the morphology of the ambulacra clearly establish it as an edrioasteroid echinoderm. This represents the first discovery of an unequivocal echinoderm from the early part of the Cambrian of South China and is among the oldest records of echinoderms globally. Our material
Ambiguity of morphological characteristics made distinguishing the two subspecies of Liniparhomaloptera disparis (Cypriniformes: Homalopteridae) difficult. Further morphological evidence in infralabial shape and head spot pattern of the loach were herein provided for the first time to define the subspecies, based on laboratory observation of 441 specimens from 15 drainage systems, including the three western, northeastern, and eastern major rivers on Hainan Island. We recognized four head patterns of dark spots: small spots, vermiform spots, mixture of small and vermiform spots, and large spots. The small鄄spotted head pattern occurred in all seven populations east of the Yunkai Mountains, as well as in the only eastern population on Hainan Island. The vermiform鄄spotted head pattern occurred in all five populations west of the Yunkai Mountains. The mixed head pattern of small and vermiform spots occurred in both the western and northeastern populations
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