Chengjiang Lagerstatte
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The Maotianshan Shales () are a series of
Early Cambrian The Cambrian ( ) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 51.95 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran period 538.8 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Ordovic ...
sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation or Heilinpu Formation, famous for their '' Konservat Lagerstätten'', deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organisms or
traces Traces may refer to: Literature * ''Traces'' (book), a 1998 short-story collection by Stephen Baxter * ''Traces'' series, a series of novels by Malcolm Rose Music Albums * ''Traces'' (Classics IV album) or the title song (see below), 1969 * ''Tra ...
. The Maotianshan Shales form one of some forty Cambrian fossil locations worldwide exhibiting exquisite preservation of rarely preserved, non-mineralized soft tissue, comparable to the fossils of the
Burgess Shale The Burgess Shale is a fossil-bearing deposit exposed in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils. At old (middle Cambrian), it is one of the earliest fos ...
of British Columbia, Canada. They take their name from Maotianshan Hill () in Chengjiang County,
Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
Province,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. The most famous assemblage of organisms are referred to as the Chengjiang biota for the multiple scattered
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 preserve ...
sites in Chengjiang. The age of the Chengjiang Lagerstätte is locally termed Qiongzhusian, a stage correlated to the late
Atdabanian Cambrian Stage 3 is the still unnamed third stage of the Cambrian. It succeeds Cambrian Stage 2 and precedes Cambrian Stage 4, although neither its base nor top have been formally defined. The plan is for its lower boundary to correspond approxi ...
Stage in
Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
n sequences of the middle of the
Early Cambrian The Cambrian ( ) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 51.95 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran period 538.8 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Ordovic ...
. The shales date to ≤. Along with the Burgess Shale, the Maotianshan Shales are remarked as "our best window into the Cambrian 'explosion'", especially on the origin of
chordates A chordate ( ) is a bilaterian animal belonging to the phylum Chordata ( ). All chordates possess, at some point during their larval or adult stages, five distinctive physical characteristics ( synapomorphies) that distinguish them from ot ...
.


History and scientific significance

Although fossils from the region have been known from the early part of the 10th century, Chengjiang was first recognized for its exquisite states of preservation with the 1984 discovery of the naraoiid ''
Misszhouia ''Misszhouia'' is a genus of small to average sized (up to long) marine trilobite-like arthropods within the Naraoiidae family, that lived during the early Cambrian period. The species are ''M. longicaudata'', from the Maotianshan Shales, descr ...
'', a soft-bodied relative of
trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three-lobed entities") are extinction, extinct marine arthropods that form the class (biology), class Trilobita. One of the earliest groups of arthropods to appear in the fossil record, trilobites were among the most succ ...
s. Since then, the locality has been intensively studied by scientists throughout the world, yielding a constant flow of new discoveries and triggering an extensive scientific debate surrounding the interpretation of discoveries. Over this time, taxa have been revised or reassigned to different groups. Interpretations have led to many refinements of the
phylogeny A phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or Taxon, taxa during a specific time.Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, M ...
of groups and even the erection of the new phylum
Vetulicolia Vetulicolia is a group of bilaterian marine animals encompassing several extinct species from the Cambrian, and possibly Ediacaran, periods. As of 2023, the majority of workers favor placing Vetulicolians in the stem group of the Chordata, but ...
of primitive
deuterostomes Deuterostomes (from Greek: ) are bilaterian animals of the superphylum Deuterostomia (), typically characterized by their anus forming before the mouth during embryonic development. Deuterostomia comprises three phyla: Chordata, Echinodermata, ...
. The Chengjiang biota has all the animal groups found in the Burgess Shale; however, since it is ten million years older, it more strongly supports the deduction that metazoans diversified earlier or faster in the early Cambrian than does the Burgess Shale fauna alone. The preservation of an extremely diverse faunal assemblage renders the Maotianshan shale the world's most important for understanding the evolution of early multi-cellular life, particularly the members of phylum
Chordata A chordate ( ) is a bilaterian animal belonging to the phylum Chordata ( ). All chordates possess, at some point during their larval or adult stages, five distinctive physical characteristics (Apomorphy and synapomorphy, synapomorphies) th ...
, which includes all
vertebrates Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...
. The Chengjiang fossils comprise the oldest diverse
metazoan Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a ho ...
assemblage above the
Proterozoic The Proterozoic ( ) is the third of the four geologic eons of Earth's history, spanning the time interval from 2500 to 538.8 Mya, and is the longest eon of Earth's geologic time scale. It is preceded by the Archean and followed by the Phanerozo ...
-
Phanerozoic The Phanerozoic is the current and the latest of the four eon (geology), geologic eons in the Earth's geologic time scale, covering the time period from 538.8 million years ago to the present. It is the eon during which abundant animal and ...
transition and, thus, the
fossil record 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 best data source for understanding the apparently rapid diversification of life known as the Cambrian Explosion. One of the most intriguing locations of the Chengjiang biota is the Haiyan Lagerstätte where hundreds of juvenile specimens have been found. This unique location offers insights into the development of most animal groups and as such is a unique deposit in the Cambrian.


IUGS geological heritage site

In respect of 'the Chengjiang fossils represent ngan uparalleled record of the fundamentally important rapid diversification of metazoan life in the early Cambrian', the
International Union of Geological Sciences The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to global cooperation in the field of geology. As of 2023, it represents more than 1 million geoscientists around the world. About Fo ...
(IUGS) included the 'Cambrian Chengjiang fossil site and lagerstätte' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an 'IUGS Geological Heritage Site' as 'a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.'


Preservation and taphonomy

The fossils occur in a section of mudstone thick in the Yuanshan Member of the Qiongzhusi Formation. The Yuanshan Member is extensive, covering multiple of eastern Yunnan Province, where there are many scattered outcrops yielding fossils. Studies of the strata are consistent with a tropical environment with sea level changes and tectonic activity. The region is believed to have been a shallow sea with a muddy bottom. The preserved fauna is primarily
benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...
and was likely buried by periodic
turbidity current A turbidity current is most typically an Ocean current, underwater current of usually rapidly moving, sediment-laden water moving down a slope; although current research (2018) indicates that water-saturated sediment may be the primary actor in ...
s, since most fossils do not show evidence of post-mortem transport. Like the younger Burgess Shale fossils, the paleo-environment enabled preservation of non-mineralized, soft body parts. Fossils are found in thin layers less than an inch thick. The soft parts are preserved as aluminosilicate films, often with high oxidized iron content and often exhibiting exquisite details. The Chengjiang beds are very deeply weathered, as evidenced by their low
specific gravity Relative density, also called specific gravity, is a dimensionless quantity defined as the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for solids and liquids is nea ...
(i.e., they are very lightweight). Trace fossils are abundant.


Chengjiang fauna

The Chengjiang biota comprises an extremely diverse faunal assembly, with some 185 species described in the literature as of June 2006. Of these, nearly half are arthropods, few of which had the hard, mineral-reinforced exoskeletons characteristic of all later arthropoda; only about 3% of the organisms known from Chengjiang have hard shells. Most of those are the trilobites (of which there are five species), all of which have been found with traces of legs, antennae, and other soft body parts, an exceedingly rare occurrence in the fossil record. Phylum
Porifera Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a Basal (phylogenetics) , basal clade and a sister taxon of the Eumetazoa , diploblasts. They are sessility (motility) , sessile ...
(sponges; 15 species) and
Priapulida Priapulida (priapulid worms, from Gr. πριάπος, ''priāpos'' ' Priapus' + Lat. ''-ul-'', diminutive), sometimes referred to as penis worms, is a phylum of unsegmented marine worms. The name of the phylum relates to the Greek god of fertilit ...
(16 species) are also well represented. Other phyla represented are
Brachiopoda Brachiopods (), phylum (biology), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear e ...
,
Chaetognatha The Chaetognatha or chaetognaths (meaning ''bristle-jaws'') are a phylum of predatory marine worms that are a major component of plankton worldwide. Commonly known as arrow worms, they are mostly pelagic; however about 20% of the known species ...
,
Cnidaria Cnidaria ( ) is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic invertebrates found both in fresh water, freshwater and marine environments (predominantly the latter), including jellyfish, hydroid (zoology), hydroids, ...
,
Ctenophora Ctenophora (; : ctenophore ) is a phylum of marine invertebrates, commonly known as comb jellies, that inhabit sea waters worldwide. They are notable for the groups of cilia they use for swimming (commonly referred to as "combs"), and they are ...
,
Echinodermata An echinoderm () is any animal of the phylum Echinodermata (), which includes starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers, as well as the sessile sea lilies or "stone lilies". While bilaterally symmetrical as larvae, ...
,
Hyolitha Hyoliths are animals with small conical surface, conical Exoskeleton, shells, known from fossils from the Palaeozoic era. They are at least considered as being lophotrochozoan, and possibly being lophophorates, a group which includes the brachio ...
,
Nematomorpha Nematomorpha (sometimes called Gordiacea, and commonly known as horsehair worms, hairsnakes, or Gordian worms) are a phylum of parasitoid animals superficially similar to nematode worms in morphology, hence the name. Most species range in size f ...
,
Phoronida Phoronids ( taxonomic name Phoronida, sometimes called horseshoe worms) are a small phylum of marine animals that filter-feed with a lophophore (a "crown" of tentacles), and build upright tubes of chitin to support and protect their soft bodies ...
, and
Chordata A chordate ( ) is a bilaterian animal belonging to the phylum Chordata ( ). All chordates possess, at some point during their larval or adult stages, five distinctive physical characteristics (Apomorphy and synapomorphy, synapomorphies) th ...
. Possible
molluscs Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...
include ''
Wiwaxia ''Wiwaxia'' is a genus of soft-bodied animals that were covered in carbonaceous scales and spines that protected it from predators. ''Wiwaxia'' fossils—mainly isolated scales, but sometimes complete, articulated fossils—are known from early C ...
''. About one in eight animals are problematic forms of uncertain affinity, some of which may have been evolutionary experiments that survived for only a brief period as
benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...
environments rapidly changed in the Cambrian. Chengjiang is the richest source of the
Lobopodia Lobopodians are members of the informal group Lobopodia (), or the formally erected phylum Lobopoda Cavalier-Smith (1998). They are panarthropods with stubby legs called lobopods, a term which may also be used as a common name of this group as ...
, a group including many early
panarthropod Panarthropoda is a clade comprising the greatest diversity of animal groups. It contains the extant phyla Arthropoda (Euarthropoda), Tardigrada (water bears) and Onychophora (velvet worms), although the precise relationships among these remained ...
s, with six genera represented: ''
Luolishania ''Luolishania'' is an extinct genus of lobopodian panarthropod and known from the Lower Cambrian Chiungchussu Formation (Maotianshan Shales) of the Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province, China. A monotypic genus, it contains one species ''Luolisha ...
'', '' Paucipodia'', '' Cardiodictyon'',''
Hallucigenia ''Hallucigenia'' is a genus of lobopodian known from Cambrian aged fossils in Burgess Shale-type deposits in Canada and China, and from isolated spines around the world. The generic name reflects the type species' unusual appearance and eccen ...
'' (also known from the Burgess Shale), ''
Microdictyon is an extinct genus of lobopodian worm characterized by its net-like sclerite armour plates, known from Cambrian deposits around the world. Soft-bodied fossils which preserve more than the sclerites are only known from the Chengjiang Lagerst ...
'', and ''
Onychodictyon ''Onychodictyon'' is a genus of extinct lobopodian known from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang Maotianshan Shales in the Yunnan Province in China. It was characterized by a stout body covered by fleshy papillae and pairs of sclerotized plates with ...
''. Perhaps the most important fossils from Chengjiang are eight possible members of phylum
Chordata A chordate ( ) is a bilaterian animal belonging to the phylum Chordata ( ). All chordates possess, at some point during their larval or adult stages, five distinctive physical characteristics (Apomorphy and synapomorphy, synapomorphies) th ...
, the phylum to which all vertebrates belong. The most famous is ''
Myllokunmingia ''Myllokunmingia'' is a genus of basal chordate from the Lower Cambrian Maotianshan shales of China 518 mya and is thought to be a vertebrate, although this is not conclusively supported. The type species ''M. fengjiaoa'' is 28 mm long and ...
'', possibly a very primitive agnathid (i.e.,
jawless fish Agnatha (; ) or jawless fish is a paraphyletic infraphylum of animals in the subphylum Vertebrata of the phylum Chordata, characterized by the lack of jaws. The group consists of both extant taxon, living (Cyclostomi, cyclostomes such as hagfish ...
). Similar to ''Myllokunmingia'' is ''
Haikouichthys ''Haikouichthys'' is an extinct genus of craniate (animals with notochords and distinct heads) that lived 518 million years ago, during the Cambrian explosion of multicellular life. The type species, ''Haikouichthys ercaicunensis'', was first ...
ercaicunensis'', another primitive fish-like animal. A wide range of affinities have been proposed for the enigmatic '' Yunnanozoon lividum'' including stem cephalochordates, stem or crown
hemichordates Hemichordata ( ) is a phylum which consists of triploblastic, eucoelomate, and bilaterally symmetrical marine deuterostome animals, generally considered the sister group of the echinoderms. They appear in the Lower or Middle Cambrian and includ ...
, craniates, stem
deuterostomes Deuterostomes (from Greek: ) are bilaterian animals of the superphylum Deuterostomia (), typically characterized by their anus forming before the mouth during embryonic development. Deuterostomia comprises three phyla: Chordata, Echinodermata, ...
, stem
bilaterians Bilateria () is a large clade of animals characterised by bilateral symmetry during embryonic development. This means their body plans are laid around a longitudinal axis with a front (or "head") and a rear (or "tail") end, as well as a left–r ...
, or
ambulacrarians Ambulacraria , or Coelomopora , is a clade of invertebrate phyla that includes echinoderms and hemichordates; a member of this group is called an ambulacrarian. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the echinoderms and hemichordates separated around 5 ...
. Specimens initially identified as ''Haikouella'' (a genus later deemed a junior synonym of ''Yunnanozoon'') display has several chordate features, including a discernible heart, dorsal and ventral aorta, gill filaments, and a
notochord The notochord is an elastic, rod-like structure found in chordates. In vertebrates the notochord is an embryonic structure that disintegrates, as the vertebrae develop, to become the nucleus pulposus in the intervertebral discs of the verteb ...
(neural chord). A 2024 study placed ''Yunnanozoon'' along the chordate stem. Another much-debated group is the
Vetulicolia Vetulicolia is a group of bilaterian marine animals encompassing several extinct species from the Cambrian, and possibly Ediacaran, periods. As of 2023, the majority of workers favor placing Vetulicolians in the stem group of the Chordata, but ...
, starting with the discovery of ''
Vetulicola ''Vetulicola'' is an extinct genus of marine animal discovered from the Cambrian of China. It is the eponymous member of the enigmatic taxon Vetulicolia, which is of uncertain affinities but may belong to the deuterostomes. The name was derived ...
'' in 1987. Close Chengjiang relatives of ''Vetulicola'' include ''
Beidazoon ''Beidazoon venustum'' is a marine deuterostome from the group Vetulicolia. It originates from the lower Cambrian Chengjiang biota of Yunnan Province, China, and was discovered in 2005. It is known as the smallest described vetulicolian, and for ...
'' and the
Didazoonids Didazoonidae is a vetulicolian family (biology), family within the order (biology), order Vetulicolata. It is characterized by a relatively thin-walled, non-biomineralized body and a large, round anterior opening surrounded by an oral disc. It ...
. ''
Heteromorphus ''Heteromorphus'' is an extinct genus of banffiid from the lower Cambrian Chengjiang lagerstatte. It contains one broadly accepted species, ''Heteromorphus confusus'', as well as a proposed junior synonym, ''Heteromorphus longicaudatus'' that ...
'' is more closely related to ''
Banffia ''Banffia'' is a genus of animals described from Middle Cambrian fossils. The genus commemorates Banff, Alberta, near where the first fossil specimens were discovered. Its placement in higher taxa is controversial, with it mostly being considere ...
'' from the
Burgess Shale The Burgess Shale is a fossil-bearing deposit exposed in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils. At old (middle Cambrian), it is one of the earliest fos ...
, but both it and ''Banffia'' are also considered to be vetulicolians. Originally described as crustacean arthropods, the ''Vetulicola'' were later erected as a new phylum of primitive deuterostomes by D.G. Shu. In recent years, a majority of workers have come to see the vetulicolians as stem chordates, and a 2024 study placed vetulicolians as a basal chordate
evolutionary grade A grade is a taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity. The term was coined by British biologist Julian Huxley, to contrast with clade, a strictly phylogenetic unit. Phylogenetics The concept of evolutionary grades ...
, followed by ''Yunnanozoon''. An alternative proposal places vetulicolians as a sister group to tunicates. Vetulicolians are thought to have been swimmers that either were filter feeders or detritivores. Some two dozen animals from the Chengjiang biota are problematic regarding phylogenetic assignment. Among these, '''
Anomalocaris ''Anomalocaris'' (from Ancient Greek , meaning "unlike", and , meaning "shrimp", with the intended meaning "unlike other shrimp") is an extinct genus of radiodont, an order of early-diverging stem-group marine arthropods. It is best known fro ...
' saron'', the alleged predatory terror of the early Cambrian, was the most famous, although that species is later reclassified to ''
Houcaris ''Houcaris'' is a possibly paraphyletic radiodont genus, tentatively assigned to either Amplectobeluidae, Anomalocarididae or Tamisiocarididae, known from Cambrian Series 2 of China and the United States. The type species is ''Houcaris saron'' ...
saron'' and '' Innovatiocaris maotianshanensis''. Shu (2006) recently described '' Stromatoveris psygmoglena'' as a possible bilateran missing link between
Ediacaran The Ediacaran ( ) is a geological period of the Neoproterozoic geologic era, Era that spans 96 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period at 635 Million years ago, Mya to the beginning of the Cambrian Period at 538.8 Mya. It is the last ...
fronds and Cambrian
ctenophore Ctenophora (; : ctenophore ) is a phylum of marine invertebrates, commonly known as comb jellies, that inhabit sea waters worldwide. They are notable for the groups of cilia they use for swimming (commonly referred to as "combs"), and they ar ...
s. '' Cambrocornulitus'' had a tubicolous shell which probably was biomineralized. It shares some affinities with cornulitids and lophophorates. The Chengjiang biota is believed to have inhabited a delta front environment rich in oxygen, with high sedimentation rates and major fluctuations in salinity being the main environmental stressors.


Guanshan biota

Located in the Yunnan Province of South China and hosted in the geologically distinct
Cambrian Stage 4 Cambrian Stage 4 is the still unnamed fourth stage of the Cambrian and the upper stage of Cambrian Series 2. It follows Cambrian Stage 3 and lies below the Wuliuan. The lower boundary has not been formally defined by the International Commission o ...
Wulongqing Formation, The Guanshan biota are also Burgess shale-type fossils but slightly younger than the Chengjian biota with an age dating to 515–510
Myr Million years ago, abbreviated as Mya, Myr (megayear) or Ma (megaannum), is a unit of time equal to (i.e. years), or approximately 31.6 teraseconds. Usage Myr is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used w ...
. Brachiopods are the most abundant species, followed by trilobites. Other species belong to sponges, chancelloriids, cnidarians, ctenophores, priapulids, lobopodians, arthropods, anomalocaridids, hyoliths, molluscs, brachiopods, echinoderms, algae and vetulicolians. There are also the earliest-known eocrinoids, unidentified soft-bodied animals and abundant trace fossils. The Guanshan biota are regarded as successors of the Chengjian biota, and share many species. The unique species include arthropods like '' Guangweicaris'' and '' Astutuscaris,''alongside vetulicolians like ''
Vetulicola gantoucunensis ''Vetulicola'' is an extinct genus of marine animal discovered from the Cambrian of China. It is the eponymous member of the enigmatic taxon Vetulicolia, which is of uncertain affinities but may belong to the deuterostomes. The name was derived ...
'' and ''
V. longbaoshanensis ''V.'' is a satirical postmodern novel and the debut novel of Thomas Pynchon, published on March 18, 1963. It describes the exploits of a discharged U.S. Navy sailor named Benny Profane, his reconnection in New York with a group of pseudo-bohe ...
''.


Gallery

File:Misszhouia longicaudata 2.jpg, ''
Misszhouia ''Misszhouia'' is a genus of small to average sized (up to long) marine trilobite-like arthropods within the Naraoiidae family, that lived during the early Cambrian period. The species are ''M. longicaudata'', from the Maotianshan Shales, descr ...
longicaudata'' File:Heliomedusa orienta.jpg, '' Heliomedusa orienta'' File:Leanchoilia illecebrosa.jpg, ''
Leanchoilia ''Leanchoilia'' is a megacheiran marine arthropod known from Cambrian deposits of the Burgess Shale in Canada and the Chengjiang biota of China. Description ''L. superlata'' was about long and had long, whip-like flagellae extending from i ...
illecebrosa''


See also

*
Geography of China China has great physical diversity. The eastern plain and southern coasts of the country consist of fertile lowlands and foothills. They are the location of most of China's agricultural output and human population. The southern areas of the ...
*
Stephen Jay Gould Stephen Jay Gould ( ; September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American Paleontology, paleontologist, Evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, and History of science, historian of science. He was one of the most influential and widely re ...
, '' Wonderful Life'' *
List of arthropods of the Cambrian Period This list contains many extinct arthropod genera from the Cambrian, Cambrian Period of the Paleozoic, Paleozoic Era. Some trilobites, Bradoriida, bradoriids and Phosphatocopina, phosphatocopines may not be included due to the lack of literature on ...
*
List of Xiaoshiba Biota species This is a list of the fossils found within the Xiaoshiba Biota. The Xiaoshiba Biota is a lagerstätte from south China, belonging to the Hongjingshao Formation. It dates to roughly 514 mya, near the end of Cambrian Stage 3. This interval lies be ...


References


Further reading

*
Fossils of the Chengjiang Maotianshan Shale
- URL retrieved September 20, 2006 * Hou, Xian-Guang; Aldridge, Richard J., Bengstrom, Jan; Siveter, David J. ;Feng, Xiang-Hong 2004; The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjang, China, Blackwell Science Ltd, 233 pp.
Preservation, Taphonomy and Palaeoecology of the Chengjiang Biota
- URL retrieved September 20, 2006 * * * * * * * * *


External links

*

at fossilmuseum.net {{Burgess Shale type preservation Geologic formations of China Cambrian System of Asia Cambrian China Shale formations Cambrian northern paleotemperate deposits Lagerstätten Paleontology in Yunnan Geography of Yuxi First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites