Anji Biota
Sedimentary deposit in China
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The Anji biota is a lagerstätte from the latest Ordovician of China, contained within the Wenchang Formation. This lagerstätte preserves a mid-diversity fauna mostly consisting of glass sponges.[1]
| Anji Biota | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
Reconstruction of the Anji biota, with several glass sponge species and Archopterus. | |
| Type | Lagerstätte |
| Unit of | Wenchang Formation |
| Underlies | Anji Formation |
| Overlies | Changwu Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Mudstone |
| Location | |
| Region | Zhejiang Province |
| Country | China |
Paleobiota
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
| Paleobiota | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Higher taxon | Notes | Images | |
| Archopterus | A. anjiensis | Adelophthalmidae | Earliest adelophthalmid, alongside the earliest Chinese eurypterid[2] | | |
| Anjigraptus | A. wangi | Neodiplograptidae? | Independently evolved a morphology similar to dicranograptids[3] | ||
| Avitograptus | A. avitus, A. akidomorphus, A. acanthocystus | Akidograptidae (Graptolithina) | Transitional between earlier and later akidograptids[4] | ||
| Anjiplectella | A. davidipharus | Euplectellidae | Extends the range of Venus’ flower basket sponges back by almost 150 million years[5] | ||
| Archaeaphorme | A. conica | Rossellidae | Resembles the modern Aphorme, but differs in body shape and spicule characteristics[6] | ||
| Cannapirania | C. vermiformis | Piraniidae (Protomonaxonida) | Formerly placed within Pirania itself[7] | ||
| Conciliospongia | C. anjiensis | Silicea | Transitional between hexactinellids and demosponges[8] | ||
| Crateromorpha? | C?. (Neopsacas?) macrospicula | Rossellidae | Likely a member of an extant genus[6] | ||
| Eorosselloides | E. antiquus | Rossellidae | Very closely resembles the modern Rossella, but too poorly preserved to determine whether it actually belongs to the genus[6] | ||
| Matteolaspongia | M. hemiglobosa | Rossellidae? | Either convergently rossellid-like, or in the stem-group of the family[9] | ||
| Pseudanoxycalyx | P. verrucosus | Rossellidae | Convergently resembles the modern Anoxycalyx[6] | ||
| Shouzhispongia | S. coronata, S. prodigia | Rossellidae | One of the most common Anji sponges[10] | ||
