Developmental biology of a problematic taxon, Linglongsphaera ornata n. gen. n. sp., from the Kuanchuanpu Biota (Fortunian, Cambrian), Shaanxi, China
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Abstract:
The Kuanchuanpu Biota (535 Ma; Fortunian, Cambrian) represents an exceptionally phosphatized fossil Lagerst?tte, yielding abundant fossils of embryonic and adult soft-bodied animals, small shelly fossils, and algae.This biota serves as a crucial taphonomic window for unraveling the marine ecosystem during the very beginning of the Cambrian Explosion. However, previous studies have primarily focused on well-known groups such as the cnidarians represented by Olivooides and the ecdysozoans represented by scalidophorans (e.g., Eokinorhynchus), leaving numerous enigmatic taxa of this fossil assemblage uninvestigated. This study reports a newly discovered enigmatic fossil taxon, Linglongsphaera ornata n. gen. n. sp., from the Kuanchuanpu Biota. This taxon is characterized by a spherical body with its diameter ranging from 544 to 1088 μm. Its surface is ornamented with nodular projections, and its interior consists of cells with an average diameter of 24 μm. During different developmental stages, Linglongsphaeraornata exhibits a variable number of chambers ranging from 8 to over 180. The volume of an individual chamber increases at the beginning and then gradually decreases as the overall number of chambers increases. The chambers are distributed from the periphery to throughout the interior, with the total volume of chambers being stabilized at approximately 36% of the total volume of the organism body. Based on available evidence, we propose that Linglongsphaera ornata may represent an extinct multicellular eukaryote, with possible close affinity to multicellular algae. However, its precise classification and phylogenetic position remain uncertain. This discovery contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the diverse and enigmatic taxa of the Kuanchuanpu Biota, and sheds light on the complex early Cambrian biosphere during the Cambrian Explosion.
