Vaveliksia

Vaveliksia is an extinct genus of sponges or sponge-like organisms from the Ediacaran period .

Vaveliksia
Temporal range: Ediacaran
Artist's reconstruction of V. velikanovi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera (?)
Genus: †Vaveliksia
Fedonkin, 1983
Species
  • †V. velikanovi (type)
  • †V. vana

Etymology

The generic epithet Vaveliksia and specific epithet of the type species V. velikanovi honor the Ukrainian geologist, Vyacheslav A. Velikanov.

The specific epithet of V. vana comes from the Latin vana, "incorporeal."[1]

Occurrence

Vaveliksia velikanovi fossils were found in the Lomozov Beds of the Mogilev Formation in the Dniester River Basin, and in Bernashevka Beds, Yaryshev Formation, in the quarry near Ozaryntsi Village, Podolia, Ukraine[2]

V. vana fossils are known from the Yorga Formation on the Zimnii Bereg (Winter Coast) of the White Sea, Arkhangelsk Region, Russia.[1] There is single reference to V. vana from the Ediacaran deposites in the South Australia, but photographs or description of these fossils were not presented.[3]

Description

The typical Vaveliksia had a frankfurter-like appearance, with one end attached to the substrate by a disk-like holdfast. The body wall was very thin, and perforated. At the top was a hole, which may be an osculum, if they were indeed true sponges. In V. velikanovi, found only in Precambrian strata of the Dneister, the top has a crown of wrinkles which was originally interpreted as tentacles (the first fossils were originally thought to be of a polyp-like organism), and the holdfast is relatively flat and disk-like. V. vana, found at the White Sea shores and in Australia, is thinner in diameter, has an unwrinkled top, and the holdfast is much more convex or dome-like. Some specimens of V. vana also had arms.

V. velikanovi fossils range 3–8 cm in length and up to 3 cm in width. The attachment disks range 0.8–2 centimeters in diameter.[2]

V. vana range 3.5–8.6 cm in length and up to 2 cm in width. The attachment disks range 0.7–1.5 cm in diameter.[1]

See also

References
  1. Ivantsov, A.Y.; Malakhovskaya, Y.E.; Serezhnikova, E.A. (2004). "Some Problematic Fossils from the Vendian of the Southeastern White Sea Region" (PDF). Paleontological Journal. 38 (1): 1–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  2. Fedonkin, M. A. (1983). "Non-skeletal fauna of Podolia, Dniester River valley". In Velikanov, V. A.; Asseeva, E. A.; Fedonkin, M. A. (eds.). The Vendian of the Ukraine (in Russian). Kiev: Naukova Dumka. pp. 128–139.
  3. Fedonkin M. A.; Gehling J. G.; Grey K.; Narbonne G. M. & Vickers-Rich P. (2007). The Rise of Animals. Evolution and Diversification of the Kingdom Animalia. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-8018-8679-9.


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