''Rugoconites'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of Ediacaran biota found as fossils in the form of a circular or oval-like impression preserved in high relief, six or more centimeters in diameter. The fossils are surrounded by frills that have been interpreted (

Wade Wade, WADE, or Wades may refer to: Places in the United States * Wade, California, a former settlement * Wade, Maine, a town * Wade, Mississippi, a census-designated place * Wade, North Carolina, a town * Wade, Ohio, an unincorporated communi ...

1972) as sets of

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work ma ...

s. The bifurcating radial ribs, spreading from a central dome, serve to distinguish this

from the

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

'' Palaeophragmodictya'', and may represent the channels of the gastrovascular system. Fossils of ''Rugoconites'' have been interpreted as early

s, although this is countered by Sepkoski ''et al.'' (2002), who interpreted the organism as a free-swimming jellyfish-like

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that ...

n; similar to ''

Ovatoscutum ''Ovatoscutum concentricum'' is one of many enigmatic organisms known from the Ediacaran deposits of the Flinders Ranges, Australia, and the White Sea area in Russia, dating around 555 Ma. Etymology The generic name ''Ovatoscutum'' is derived fr ...

''. However, the fossil is consistently preserved as a neat circular form and its general morphology does not vary, therefore a benthic and perhaps slow-moving or sessile lifestyle is more likely. Ivantstov & Fedonkin (2002), suggest that ''Rugoconites'' may possess tri-radial symmetry and be a member of the

Trilobozoa ''Trilobozoa'' (meaning "three-lobed animals") is a phylum of extinct mobile animals that were originally classified into the Cnidaria. The basic body plan of ''Trilobozoa'' is often a tri-radial or radial sphere-shaped form with lobes radiating ...

. ''Rugoconites'' have been reported in clusters; this may represent a social/colonial way of life, or simply accumulation by the action of currents, sea-floor processes, or possibly preservational conditions. The ''Rugoconites'' genus may contain two species: ''Rugoconites enigmaticus'' and ''Rugoconites tenuirugosus'', the latter being less dome-shaped and having smaller and more numerous radial ridges than the former. However, due to the dubious nature of R. tenuirugosus, its taxonomy is still unclear, and it has been suggested that a new genus named ''Wadea'' should be erected for ''''R." tenuirugosus''. In 1966, Martin Glaessner along with Mary Wade unearthed the external mould of a form which possessed a small central disc that had eleven radiating lobes from its centre that they named ''Lorenzinites rarus''. This form was also compared to the top of some ''Rugoconites'' specimens. The fossil of ''Lorenzinites rarus'' was, however, reconsidered to be a ''Rugoconites enigmaticus'' specimen despite his original observations and placed it along with the genus in the synonymy of ''Rugoconites''. The genus was then forgotten about and needs further examination.

References

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External links

* http://www.yuzonakano-secretmemory.com/life3.c.html contains a low-quality image. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3942574 Trilobozoa species described in 1966 species described in 1992 Ediacaran Ediacaran life Enigmatic prehistoric animal genera

See also

References

External links