Cosmochlaina
Cosmochlaina Temporal range:
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Cuticle of Cosmochlaina, retrieved from the acid maceration . Cells about 12 μm in diameter.
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae (?) |
Phylum: | "Nematophyta" |
Class: | †Nematophytina |
Order: | †Nematophytales |
Family: | †Nematothalaceae Strother 1993 |
Genus: | †Cosmochlaina Edwards 1986 |
Species | |
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Cosmochlaina (from Greek: kosmos=ornament; xlaina=wrapper/cloak) is a
Where Nematothallus was sometimes used to relate only to tube-like structures, Cosmochlaina was used in reference to the cuticle fragments. Material discovered later revealed its internal anatomy, which comprises a lichen-like mat of 'hyphae'.[4]
It has been suggested that the pores of Cosmochlaina represent broken-off rhizoids, on the basis that rotting and acid treatment of extant liverworts produces a similar perforated texture.[5] However, the status of this form genus in any one kingdom is not secure; members could, for example, represent arthropod cuticle.[6] Alternatively, different species may in fact represent different parts of the same organism.[3] Based on the more recent material, a lichen affinity seems most plausible.[7]
See also
- Nematothallus, a closely related sister taxon
- Evolutionary history of plants