Tawuia

Tawuia
Temporal range: Statherian to Cambrian Stage 3, 1632–518 Ma
Fossil specimen, Geological Museum of China
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Archaeplastida
Clade: Viridiplantae
Division: Chlorophyta
Class: †Chuariophyceae
Order: †Chuariales
Family: †Chuariaceae
Genus: †Tawuia
Hofmann, 1979
Type species
†Tawuia dalensis
Hofmann, 1979
Species
  • †Tawuia dalensis Hofmann, 1979
  • †Tawuia robusta Qin et al., 2023
  • †Tawuia sinensis Duan, 1982

Tawuia is a millimetric disc or sausage-shaped, most likely multicellular (although coenocytic), macrofossil from the Proterozoic. Stratigraphically, they range from around 1,630 million years ago to the early Cambrian.

The fossils are often preserved as organic compressions. They are sometimes considered to represent microbial structures; some authors affiliate them with slime molds. However, Tawuia is instead likely an alga, as sub-cellular structures supporting this have been preserved.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tawuia in the Paleobiology Database
  2. ↑ Srivastava, P.; Bali, R. (2006). "Proterozoic carbonaceous remains from the Chorhat Sandstone: oldest fossils of the Vindhyan Supergroup, Central India". Geobios. 39 (6): 873–878. Bibcode:2006Geobi..39..873S. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2006.02.001. ISSN 0016-6995. S2CID 127862654.
  3. ↑ Li, Rui-Yun; Fu, Dong-Jing; Zhang, Xing-Liang (22 December 2022). "Chuaria Walcott from the early Cambrian Qingjiang biota: a taxon persisted for billions of years". Palaeoworld. 33 (1): 11–21. Bibcode:2024Palae..33...11L. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2022.12.008. ISSN 1871-174X. S2CID 255035533.
  4. 1 2 Teyssèdre, B. (2003), "Chuaria, Tawuia, Longfengshania. Trois classes de fossiles précambriens pour un même taxon" (PDF), Comptes Rendus Palevol (in French), 6 (503): 508–510, Bibcode:2003CRPal...2..503T, doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2003.09.023, ISSN 1631-0683, S2CID 128492583
  5. ↑ Tang, Qing; Pang, Ke; Li, Guangjin; Chen, Lei; Yuan, Xunlai; Sharma, Mukund; Xiao, Shuhai (August 2021). "The Proterozoic macrofossil Tawuia as a coenocytic eukaryote and a possible macroalga". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 576 110485. Bibcode:2021PPP...57610485T. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110485. ISSN 0031-0182. S2CID 236258404.