''Frondophyllas,'' also referred to Xmas tree, is an extinct, monotypic animal genus in the clade ''

Rangeomorph The rangeomorphs are a form taxon of frondose Ediacaran fossils that are united by a similarity to ''Rangea''. Some researchers, such as Pflug and Narbonne, suggest that a natural taxon Rangeomorpha may include all similar-looking fossils. Rang ...

a''. It was found at the

Mistaken Point Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve is a wilderness area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located at the southeastern tip of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The reserve is home to the namesake ...

on the Avalon Peninsula in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, Canada in 2008 by Bamforth and Anderson. The single species is ''Frondophyllas grandis'' and only two specimens have been discovered. Both specimens are incomplete, but one extends to one meter long, making it one of the largest

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 t ...

macrofossils. The species name: ''grandis'', comes from its size, and the genus name: ''Frondophyllas'' means "frond with leaves". The organism has a base structure with numerous

frond A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the lar ...

s attached to it. It is the only

organism to have distinct leaflets. Evidence suggests that ''F. grandis'' may have been tethered to the seafloor and used these leaflets to "

filter feed Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...

", or live off nutrients provided by a current. One of the reasons fossils of this species are so rare is because it was a

soft-bodied organism Soft-bodied organisms are animals that lack skeletons. The group roughly corresponds to the group Vermes as proposed by Carl von Linné. All animals have muscles but, since muscles can only pull, never push, a number of animals have developed hard ...

. It is believed that ''F. grandis'' was preserved because it was caught beneath quickly solidifying

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

. Many of the Mistaken Point fossils were preserved this way.

Morphology, Anatomy, & Behavior

The ''F. grandis'' has multibranching that differs from the other

s that have been discovered. They have fond-like leaflets that are flexible that were able to be preserved in the fossilization process. They were benthic animals that lived in a deep-sea environment with other taxa that were founded during this time. It was suggested that they eat either small organisms that would pass by or that they would filter feed. The fossil is the only Ediacaran fossil that is fond-like and has multiple leaf-bearing branches of its kind. It is also one of the longest fossils ever found during the

period with a 1m long specimen found.

Method of Fossilization

The ''Frondophyllas'', like many other fossils found in the Avalon Peninsula, was preserved by solidified volcanic ash. Within the silicified mudstone-volcanic ash, we can see the soft-bodied organisms being well preserved. Evidence suggests that during this preservation event, the volcanic ash created a mold of the organism when it fell onto the sea floor. Although well preserved, both fossils found were incomplete with a broken central rod.

Distribution & Paleoenvironment

Founded in the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, the ''F. grandis'' was discovered in the Briscal Fm in Bristy Cove. The depositional environment of Mistaken Point consists of silicified mudstones-volcanic ash at 575-560Ma. This environment had indications of having a deep-sea environment at the time that the ''F. grandis'' was alive, also indicating that it was a benthic animal.

References

External links

''Frondophyllas''
at '' mindat.org'' * {{Taxonbar, from=Q106545438 Rangeomorpha Ediacaran life Fossil taxa described in 2009