Enigmatic Ediacaran Putative Cnidarian Fossils

Enigmatica: resembling Porpita porpita

Phylum Incertae sedis

But, morphologically like:

Phylum Cnidaria, Subphylum Medusozoa, Class Hydrozoa, Order Anthomedusae, Family Porpitidae

Geological Time: Ediacaran, 580 million years ago

Size: The three complete Porpita are all a bit over 5/8” in diameter on a 5 x 3 1/4” plate

Fossil Site: Ranford Formation, Kunnunarra, West Australia

Fossil Code: PFO465

Price: $265.00


 Ediacaran FossilsDescription: The modern analogue of these ancient fossils are Porpita porpita, commonly known as the blue button, which is a marine organism consisting of a colony of hydroids found in tropical waters from California to the tropical Pacific, the Atlantic and Indian oceans. It is often mistaken for a jellyfish, but although jellyfish and the blue buttons are part of the same phylum (Cnidaria), the blue button is part of the class Hydrozoa.

The blue button lives on the surface of the sea and consists of two main parts: the float and the hydroid colony. It plays a role in the food web, as its size makes it easyExtant Porpita porpita prey for several organisms. The blue button itself is a passive drifter, meaning that it feeds on both living and dead organisms that come in contact with it. It competes with other drifters for food and mainly feeds off of small fish, eggs, and zooplankton. The blue button has a single mouth located beneath the float that is used for both the intake of nutrients as well as the expulsion of wastes. The bodies are persevered as they have a silicated radial skeleton (as shown in the picture) that is identical to the structures shown in fine sediments.

This fossil multi-plate is from the Ediacaran Period 580 Million Years Old from the Ranford Formation in Kunnunarra West Australia, which is the same formation as Zebra stone occurs. The specimens are in an excellent state of preservation. A hand lens will show exceptional physiological preservation detail.

Initially both Zebra Stone “Cupperia” and these Porpita structures were not considered biological but recently with a better understanding of early life of the Precambrian these are now considered to be of biological origin. Re Wikipedia “aspidella” and also “Velella” similar creatures are described.

While there is some controversy between scientists in Australia over these fossils structures internationally it is quite accepted they are Hydrozoans fossils.
These fossils are very rare and have been legally collected and exported
.

  • Also see:
    Ellis L. Yochelson and Charles E. Mason. 1986. A Chondrophorine Coelenterate from the Borden Formation (Lower Mississippian) of Kentucky, Journal of Paleontology, Vol. 60, No. 5 (Sep., 1986), pp. 1025-1028
  • Chen, J.-Y., Oliveri, P., Gao, F., Dornbos, S.Q., Li, C-W., Bottjer, D.J. and Davidson, E.H. (August 2002). "Precambrian Animal Life: Probable Developmental and Adult Cnidarian Forms from Southwest China" (PDF). Developmental Biology 248 (1): 182–196.

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Enigmatic Ediacaran Putative Cnidarian Fossils

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