Tawuia
| Tawuia Temporal range: Tonian to Cambrian Stage 3,
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| Fossil specimen, Geological Museum of China | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | †Tawuia H.J.Hofmann, 1979 [1] |
| Type species | |
| Tawuia dalensis Hofmann 1979
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| Species | |
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Tawuia is a millimetric disc or sausage-shaped, most likely multicellular (although coenocytic) macrofossil from the Proterozoic. Stratigraphically, they range from 1,630 million years ago[2] to the early Cambrian.[3]
The fossils are often preserved as organic compressions. They are sometimes considered to represent microbial structures;[4] some authors affiliate them with slime molds.[4] However, Tawuia is instead likely an alga,[1] as sub-cellular structures supporting this have been preserved.[5]
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A reconstruction of Tawuia as a coenocytic macroalgae with epibionts.
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Reconstruction of Tawuia as a coenocytic macroalgae lacking epibionts
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Reconstruction of Tawuia sinensis as a coenocytic macroalgae lacking epibionts
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Tawuia Hofmann 1979 (green algae)". Paleobiology database. 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2022.12.008.
- ^ a b Teyssèdre, B. (2003), "Trois classes de fossiles precambriens pour un meme taxon", Comptes Rendus Palevol (in French), 6 (503): 508–510, doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2003.09.023
- ^ 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. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110485.