Shankouclava

Shankouclava Temporal range: Ma[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Restoration of S. anningense.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Tunicata
Genus:	†Shankouclava Chen et al., 2003
Type species
†Shankouclava anningense Chen et al., 2003
Species
†S. anningense Chen et al., 2003 †S. shankouense Chen et al., 2003

Shankouclava is an extinct genus of

Shankouclava had a soft, sac-like body that was elongated and pointed proximally. The body lengths of individuals vary from 2 cm (0.8 in) to 4 cm (1.6 in).[2]

Degan Shu asserts that some fossil specimens exhibit tentacles, which would make the genus similar to the deuterostome Phlogites.^[3] Expanding on this idea, Shu and colleagues argue against a tunicate affinity for Shankouclava.^[4]

Etymology

The generic name is composed of the fossil locality, Shankou, and the Latin word clava (club-shaped).^[2]

Classification

A stem group tunicate affinity for Shankouclava has been broadly accepted, though some authors have expressed reservations that the evidence in favour of this affinity is not conclusive.^[5]

Another Cambrian tunicate, Megasiphon, known from a single specimen, resembles more closely the morphology of surviving tunicates.^[6]

References

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