''Arkarua adami'' is a small,
Precambrian
The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
disk-like
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
with a raised center, a number of radial ridges on the rim, and a five-pointed central depression marked with radial lines of five small dots from the middle of the disk center. Fossils range from 3 to 10 mm in diameter.
''Arkarua'' is known only from the
Ediacaran
The Ediacaran Period ( ) is a geological period that spans 96 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period 635 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 538.8 Mya. It marks the end of the Proterozoic Eon, and th ...
beds of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The generic name refers to
Arkaroo, a giant snake from
the Dreaming
The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...
of the local Aboriginal people.
Classification
All known specimens of ''Arkarua'' are casts that give no clue to the internal structure, making classification problematic. Because of ''Arkaruas pentamerous symmetry, it is tentatively placed within
phylum
In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature f ...
Echinodermata
An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea li ...
. Because of its flattened disk- or button-shape, coupled with its pentamerous symmetry, some claim that it can be further classified into the
Edrioasteroid
Edrioasteroidea is an extinct class of echinoderms. The living animal would have resembled a pentamerously symmetrical disc or cushion. They were obligate encrusters and attached themselves to inorganic or biologic hard substrates (frequently har ...
ea, a
class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
of the echinoderms.
This identification remains suspect, as the fossils do not appear to have either
madreporite
The madreporite is a light colored calcareous opening used to filter water into the water vascular system of echinoderms. It acts like a pressure-equalizing valve. It is visible as a small red or yellow button-like structure, looking like a smal ...
s, or plates of
stereom, a unique crystalline form of
calcium carbonate from which echinoderm skeletons are built. These two features are diagnostic of all other echinoderms, as all extinct and extant echinoderms have either one, the other, or both features present.
[Paul D. Taylor, David N. Lewis ''Fossil Invertebrates'' Harvard University Press, 2007 pages 163-164]
See also
*
List of Ediacaran genera
This is a list of all described Ediacaran genera, including the Ediacaran biota. It contains 227 genera.
References
{{reflist, 30em
*
Ediacaran
The Ediacaran Period ( ) is a geological period that spans 96 million years from the end o ...
References
*
External links
Vendian animals: ''Arkarua'' from the Ediacara Hills of Australia from the University of California Berkeley Museum of Paleontology. (pictures)
Ediacaran life
Prehistoric invertebrates of Australia
Enigmatic prehistoric animal genera
Edrioasteroidea
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