Gromia sphaerica

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Gromia sphaerica
Close-up of Gromia in place. Note the particles of sand and muck stuck to the surface.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Phylum: Endomyxa
Class: Gromiidea
Order: Gromiida
Family: Gromiidae
Genus: Gromia
Species:
G. sphaerica
Binomial name
Gromia sphaerica
Gooday, Bowser, Bett & Smith 2000

Gromia sphaerica is a large spherical

seafloor, and it is mostly filled with stercomata (waste pellets).[2]

In 2008, 30-millimeter (1.2-inch) specimens were found off the coast of

single-celled organisms were incapable of making these kinds of trails, and their cause was previously a source of speculation. The mud trails made by the Bahamian Gromia appear to match prehistoric mud trails from the Precambrian, including 1.8 billion year-old fossil trails in the Stirling formation in Australia.[3][4][5][6] Because the tracks of Gromia resemble the 1.8 billion year old traces that were believed to represent the traces of complex bilaterian
worms, said tracks could have been a result of similarly giant single-celled organisms instead of complex animals.

Description

Gromia sphaerica mainly resembled a grape in size and in body appearance. When the sediment was removed from one of the specimens, it showed that the skin was similar to that of a grapes skin, but much softer when touched.[7]

Tracks

The tracks that G. sphaerica makes on the muddy sea floor are similar to the tracks of animals from the Ediacaran period. In some of the photos, the tracks can be seen as being curved.[8]

  • Multiple individuals of Gromia sphaerica on the slope of Exuma Valley, together with a shrimp for scale. The shrimp is about 10 cm long and maintains a horizontal position. Inset: details of individual traces.
    Multiple individuals of Gromia sphaerica on the slope of Exuma Valley, together with a shrimp for scale. The shrimp is about 10 cm long and maintains a horizontal position. Inset: details of individual traces.

References