Vetulicolia
E780402
Vetulicolia is an extinct group of enigmatic, soft-bodied marine animals from the Cambrian period, thought to be early deuterostomes and important for understanding the evolution of chordates.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Cambrian animal
ⓘ
deuterostome ⓘ extinct taxon ⓘ |
| bodyPlan | soft-bodied ⓘ |
| controversy | systematic placement within Deuterostomia remains debated ⓘ |
| diagnosticFeature |
distinct constriction between anterior and posterior body sections
ⓘ
series of lateral openings along anterior body ⓘ |
| discoveryPeriod | 20th century ⓘ |
| ecologicalRole | planktonic or nektonic animal ⓘ |
| environment | shallow marine settings ⓘ |
| feedingMode | suspension feeder ⓘ |
| fossilSites |
Australia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Burgess Shale-type deposits NERFINISHED ⓘ Chengjiang biota NERFINISHED ⓘ Europe NERFINISHED ⓘ North America NERFINISHED ⓘ South China NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geologicalPeriod | Cambrian NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| importance |
important for understanding chordate origins
ⓘ
important for understanding early deuterostome evolution ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| lifestyle | marine ⓘ |
| locomotion | likely active swimmer using tail-like posterior section ⓘ |
| morphology |
anterior section broad and often segmented
ⓘ
has series of lateral openings interpreted as gill slits ⓘ lacks mineralized skeleton ⓘ posterior section narrow and tail-like ⓘ two-part body with anterior and posterior sections ⓘ |
| notableGenus |
Banffia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Didazoon NERFINISHED ⓘ Skeemella NERFINISHED ⓘ Vetulicola NERFINISHED ⓘ Xidazoon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| phylogeneticDebate |
has been proposed as related to chordates
ⓘ
has been proposed as related to tunicates ⓘ has been proposed as stem-group deuterostome ⓘ |
| phylogeneticPosition | basal deuterostome ⓘ |
| reproductionInference | likely sexual reproduction as in other deuterostomes ⓘ |
| researchSignificance |
informs reconstruction of ancestral deuterostome body plan
ⓘ
provides evidence for early diversification of deuterostomes ⓘ |
| size | typically a few centimeters long ⓘ |
| softTissuePreservation | known from exceptional Lagerstätten ⓘ |
| status | extinct ⓘ |
| taxonomicRank | phylum ⓘ |
| temporalRangeEnd | Middle Cambrian NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| temporalRangeStart | Early Cambrian ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.