''Pomatrum'' is an extinct

vetulicolia VetulicoliaThe taxon name, Vetulocolia, is derived from the type genus, ''Vetulicola'', which is a compound Latin word composed of ''vetuli'' "old" and ''cola'' "inhabitant". is a taxon (either phylum or subphylum in rank) encompassing several ex ...

n, the senior synonym of ''Xidazoon''; the latter taxon was described by Shu, et al. (1999) based on

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 ...

s found in the Qiongzhusi (Chiungchussu) Formation, Yu'anshan Member (Eoredlichia zone), Lower Cambrian, Haikou, ( Kunming), about 50 km west of

Chengjiang Chengjiang (; earlier Tchinkiang) is a city located in Yuxi, Yunnan Province, China, just north of Fuxian Lake. Administrative divisions Chengjiang City has 2 subdistricts and 4 townships. ;2 subdistricts * Fenglu () * Longjie () ;4 towns C ...

, China. It has been likened to the chordate '' Pipiscius''. The fossils show that the body of the animal was divided into two parts. The anterior part of the body is moderately inflated, with a prominent mouth circlet. It has faint

transverse Transverse may refer to: *Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle *Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally * Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...

divisions towards the front, but is otherwise smooth. The mouth circlet consists of about 30 plates divided into inner and outer regions. The anterior section has five structures on each side, which are interpreted as

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

. A dark region running close to the

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

and posterior margins is interpreted as an endostyle. The condition of the anterior portion of the fossils suggests that it was thin-walled, i.e., that the anterior portion was largely hollow. The posterior part of the body tapers towards front and back (diamond-shaped), and is divided into seven segments covered in cuticle with three less well-defined segments at the anterior end. There are short spines at the posterior tip. The authors describe an alimentary canal with terminal openings and a rectum with what might be dilator muscles. Based on a comparison of the incomplete/damaged holotype with the incomplete/damaged holotype of ''Pomatrum ventralis'', researchers Aldridge, et al., proposed that ''X. stephanus'' was a junior synonym of ''P. ventralis'' because the anterior portions of the two species are largely identical.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1588028 Animals described in 1999 Maotianshan shales fossils Monotypic vertebrate genera Prehistoric vertebrate genera Vetulicolia Cambrian genus extinctions

See also

References