Shenzianyuloma Explained

Shenzianyuloma is an extinct genus of vetulicolians, represented by a single species, Shenzianyuloma yunnanense, from the Maotianshan Shale during Stage 3 (518 million years ago) of the Cambrian period. It is notable for having a compact body shape akin to that of an angelfish. The name of the genus is derived from the Chinese shénxiān yú (神仙鱼), meaning "angelfish", and an anagram of Mola.[1] Because of its notochord-like structure, depending on its phylogenetic position, it could belong to either an ancestral deuterostome with a primitive notochord-like structure or an archaic chordate-related phylum.[2]

Notes and References

  1. McMenamin. Mark A. S.. August 2019. Cambrian Chordates and Vetulicolians. Geosciences. en. 9. 8. 354. 10.3390/geosciences9080354. 2019Geosc...9..354M. free.
  2. Sui. Z.. Zhao. Z.. Dong. B.. 2021. Origin of the Chordate Notochord. Diversity. 13. 10. 462. 10.3390/d13100462. free.