Discoveries of new Longfengshaniaceae from the uppermost Ediacaran in eastern Yunnan, South China and the significance

Abstract

A morphologically more diverse assemblage of Longfengshaniaceae has been found in the uppermost Ediacaran (Sinian) Jiucheng Member, Yuhucun Formation at Jinning and Jiangchuan, eastern Yunnan, South China. A majority of them are different from the Longfengshania found in the Neoproterozoic Changlongshan Formation, Yanshan Mountain area, North China and the Little Dal Group, North America. They are mainly characterized by a more varied, often thallus-like appearance with no branches, such as oval, pyriform, spindle, shovel, heart, ribbon and balloon shapes, and more sturdy stalk-like projection (stipe) with a smooth connection on the basal part of the thallus. In addition, they appear to have a remarkable attaching organ of lanceolate, shuttle-like or short stem-like structure at the base of the stipe. Six distinct morphological taxa are recognized, including one new genus, two new species and three conformis species. The characteristics of the family and the genus Longfengshania are further discussed in this paper. The new discoveries of these carbonaceous macrofossils identified as Longfengshaniaceae algae on the basis of the diagnostic forms and anastomosis patterns of their thalli and stipes demonstrate that an important evolutionary radiation of metaphytes took place in the last Ediacaran stage. The flourishing of the benthonic thallophytes attached to the substrate from eastern Yunnan and considered to be photosynthetic alga probably provided continuous nutritional habitats for the explosion and diversification of the Early Cambrian "Chengjiang biota".

SIMS U–Pb zircon geochronological constraints on upper Ediacaran stratigraphic correlations, South China

“…The biostratigraphy is based on Tang et al . (2006), Hua, Chen & Yuan (2007), Zhu (2010), Chen et al . (2013, 2014) and Zhang, Hua & Zhang (2015).…”

Establishing a time‐scale for plant evolution

“…(Du, 1982;Du & Tian, 1985;Hofmann, 1985;Xu, 2002), interpreted as a bryophyte by likening its thallus to a capsule and its stipe to a seta. However, this is just one of a number of interpretations of Longfengshania which is known from records through to the Ediacaran (latest Neoproterozoic; Tang et al, 2007). Most reports favour the interpretation of these fossils as macroscopic algae (Du, 1982;Duan et al, 1985;Xu, 2002;Tang et al, 2007), with some directly questioning the bryophyte interpretation (Liu & Du, 1991).…”

“…However, this is just one of a number of interpretations of Longfengshania which is known from records through to the Ediacaran (latest Neoproterozoic; Tang et al, 2007). Most reports favour the interpretation of these fossils as macroscopic algae (Du, 1982;Duan et al, 1985;Xu, 2002;Tang et al, 2007), with some directly questioning the bryophyte interpretation (Liu & Du, 1991). The next oldest possible record is another bryophyte-like fossil, Parafunaria sinensis, from the Early-Middle Cambrian Kaili Formation of Taijiang County, Guizhou Province, China (Yang et al, 2004), the phylogenetic interpretation of which is just as equivocal (Conway Morris, 2006;Kenrick & Vinther, 2006).…”

Ediacaran macroalgal holdfasts and their evolution: a case study from China

“…), the Ediacaran Dengying Formation (Tang et al . , ) and the lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation (Xu ) in South China. The holdfast of Longfengshania was considered to have various (tuberous, filamentous and disc‐like) holdfast forms (see Du & Tian , b; Zhang ; Liu & Du ; Tang et al .…”

“…The holdfast of Longfengshania was considered to have various (tuberous, filamentous and disc‐like) holdfast forms (see Du & Tian , b; Zhang ; Liu & Du ; Tang et al . ), however, these holdfast forms have not been described in detail. After review of published illustrations, we agree with the suggestion of Zhang () that the various holdfast forms of Longfengshania may all be variously deformed globular ( Gemmaphyton ‐type) holdfasts.…”