Rutgersella
| Rutgersella Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Rutgersella truexi from the Early Silurian Shawangunk Formation of Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Genus: | †Rutgersella Johnson and Fox 1968
|
| Species | |
| |
Rutgersella truexi is a form species for problematic fossils of Early Silurian age in Pennsylvania. It has been of special interest because of its morphological similarity with the iconic Ediacaran fossil Dickinsonia, and may have been a late surviving vendobiont.[1]
Petrographic thin section of Rutgersella truexi from Early Silurian Shawangunk Formation of Pennsylvania
Description[]
Rutgersella truexi is a flat, segmented fossil, with both radial and bilateral symmetry like Dickinsonia, but with a shorter midline. The fossils are pyritized; some internal chambers are filled with chalcedony, so that they are preserved along with basal rhizines. According to Retallack, these observations suggest affinities with lichens, and perhaps the fungal phylum Glomeromycota.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b Retallack, G.J. (2015). "Reassessment of the problematic fossil Rutgersella as another post-Ediacaran vendobiont". Alcheringa. 39 (4): 573–588. doi:10.1080/03115518.2015.1069483. S2CID 54780312.
Categories:
- Silurian fungi
- Controversial taxa
- Enigmatic prehistoric animal genera
- Fossil taxa described in 1968