Protonympha
| Protonympha Temporal range:
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| Holotype specimen of Protonympha salicifolia from the Late Devonian (Frasnian) Gardeau Sandstone near Naples, New York | |
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| Genus: | †Protonympha Clarke 1903
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Holotype specimen of Protonympha transversa from the Middle Devonian (Givetian) Moscow Formation near Summit, New York
Protonympha is a form genus for problematic fossils of Devonian age in New York. It has been of special interest because of its morphological similarity with the iconic Ediacaran fossil Spriggina, and may have been a late surviving vendobiont.[1]
Description[]
Protonympha is a flat, quilted fossil, which in the past has been compared with the arm of a starfish or an annelid worm, but lacks a segmented carapace or stereom. Its preservation in sandstone is like Ediacaran type preservation.[2] It is not found with marine fossils, but only with plant fossils and freshwater fish, and its rhizoid-like extensions could be possible evidence it may have lived on land or in shallow pools.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b Retallack, G.J. (2018). "Reassessment of the Devonian Problematicum Protonympha as another post-Ediacaran vendobiont". Lethaia. 50 (3): 406–423. doi:10.1111/let.12253.
- ^ J. J. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
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- Devonian fungi
- Controversial taxa
- Enigmatic prehistoric animal genera
- Prehistoric biota stubs