Data from: The arrangement of possible muscle fibres in the Ediacaran taxon Haootia quadriformis

Haootia quadriformis from Newfoundland, Canada, is one of the most unusual impressions of a soft-bodied macro-organism yet described from the late Ediacaran Period. Interpreted as a metazoan of cnidarian grade, the body impression of H. quadriformis possesses features interpreted as fibrous structur...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liu, Alexander G., Matthews, Jack J., Menon, Latha R., McIlroy, Duncan, Brasier, Martin D.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10255/dryad.78260
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8m2q8
Description
Summary:Haootia quadriformis from Newfoundland, Canada, is one of the most unusual impressions of a soft-bodied macro-organism yet described from the late Ediacaran Period. Interpreted as a metazoan of cnidarian grade, the body impression of H. quadriformis possesses features interpreted as fibrous structures that represent possible evidence for muscular tissue. Evidence both in support of and against a relationship between H. quadriformis and the Staurozoa, one of the cnidarian groups to which Haootia was compared in Liu et al., is outlined by Miranda et al. Our intention in our original paper was to illustrate the staurozoan body plan for comparative purposes, rather than suggest homology or direct ancestry. Nevertheless, fresh insights from workers with expertise in the biology of extant cnidarians are welcomed.