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Exceptionally Preserved Jellyfishes from the Middle Cambrian
Cartwright, Paulyn Halgedahl, Susan L. Hendricks, Jonathan R. Jarrard, Richard D. Marques, Antonio C. Collins, Allen G. Lieberman, Bruce S.
Cartwright, Paulyn
Halgedahl, Susan L.
Hendricks, Jonathan R.
Jarrard, Richard D.
Marques, Antonio C.
Collins, Allen G.
Lieberman, Bruce S.
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Abstract
Cnidarians represent an early diverging animal group and thus insight into their origin and diversification is key to
understanding metazoan evolution. Further, cnidarian jellyfish comprise an important component of modern marine
planktonic ecosystems. Here we report on exceptionally preserved cnidarian jellyfish fossils from the Middle Cambrian (,505
million years old) Marjum Formation of Utah. These are the first described Cambrian jellyfish fossils to display exquisite
preservation of soft part anatomy including detailed features of structures interpreted as trailing tentacles and subumbrellar
and exumbrellar surfaces. If the interpretation of these preserved characters is correct, their presence is diagnostic of modern
jellyfish taxa. These new discoveries may provide insight into the scope of cnidarian diversity shortly after the Cambrian
radiation, and would reinforce the notion that important taxonomic components of the modern planktonic realm were in place
by the Cambrian period.
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2007-10
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Public Library of Science
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Cartwright, P., S. L. Halgedahl, J. R. Hendricks, R. D. Jarrard, A. C. Marques, A. G. Collins, and B. S. Lieberman. 2007. Exceptionally preserved jellyfishes from the Middle Cambrian. PLoS ONE 2(10) e1121:1-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0001121