Affinities and functional morphology of the middle Cambrian ornamented tubules from West Hunan, China

• Published in: Progress in Natural Science
• Main Authors: Zhu, CF, Dong, XP
• Other Authors: Dong, XP (reprint author), Peking Univ, Sch Earth & Space Sci, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China., Peking Univ, Sch Earth & Space Sci, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China., Univ Petr, Beijing 102249, Peoples R China.
• Format: Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: progress in natural science 2004
• Subjects: middle Cambrian; ornamented tubes; affinities; functional morphology; West Hunan; PROTOCONODONTS; GREENLAND; Greenland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11897/399618; https://doi.org/10.1080/10020070412331344541

Problematic phosphatic tubular microfossils with ornamented sculptures are documented to exist in limestones of the upper Middle Cambrian Huaqiao Formation at the Paibi section and the Wangcun section in West Hunan, China. Two morphological patterns, including Ornamented Tube Form I and Ornamented Tube Form II are described. Based on the analysis of the preservation, wall structure and composition of the fossils, it is deduced that these ornamented tubes may represent carapace spines of some Cambrian arthropods with phosphatic carapaces, such as bradoriid crustaceans. Analysis of functional morphology indicates that the sclerites may rather be considered of a defensive than grasping function on the original organism body. Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Multidisciplinary Sciences SCI(E) EI 0 ARTICLE 10 907-911 14