Auroralumina (from Latin aurōra "dawn", lūmina "lights") is a genus of cnidarian from the Ediacaran of Charnwood Forest, comprising the single species Auroralumina attenboroughii.[1] It is the earliest known crown-group cnidarian,[1] and also the earliest known animal predator.[2]

Fossil

Biology

Holotype (top left), on a slab of Ediacaran rock containing Charnia (lower right) and Bradgatia (left)

Auroralumina has been described as the earliest known animal predator: since its structure places it among the Cnidaria, which have stinging cells (cnidocytes) on their tentacles, it is presumed that they used these to catch small planktonic animals. The fossil consists of a pair of bifurcating tubes in which the animals lived, the earliest such structure to be recorded. It has been dated to 560 million years ago using zircon crystals in the rock. The only species in the genus, A. attenboroughii, is named for the English natural history presenter David Attenborough, who went to school in Leicestershire, where the fossil was found.[1][2]

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic analyses recover Auroralumina as a stem-group medusozoan.[1]

Animalia

Ctenophora

Cnidaria

Anthozoa

Auroralumina

other stem-group Medusozoa (e.g. Conulariida)

crown-group Medusozoa

Bilateria

References

  1. ^ a b c d Dunn, F. S.; Kenchington, C. G.; Parry, L. A.; Clark, J. W.; Kendall, R. S.; Wilby, P. R. (25 July 2022). "A crown-group cnidarian from the Ediacaran of Charnwood Forest, UK". Nature Ecology & Evolution. doi:10.1038/s41559-022-01807-x. PMC 9349040.
  2. ^ a b Amos, Jonathan (25 July 2022). "Ancient fossil is earliest known animal predator". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroralumina
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