Noffkarkys
Extinct genus of plants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Noffkarkys ("net of Noffke") is a genus of problematic fossil first found in the Ediacaran (550 million years old) Grant Bluff Formation of Central Mount Stuart, Northern Territory, Australia, and another prostrate frond-like fossil.[1] The genus was named in honor of Nora Noffke.
| Noffkarkys Temporal range: Late Ediacaran, | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype of Noffkarkys storaaslii, from Ediacaran Grant Bluff Formation, Central Mount Stuart, Australia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | †Noffkarkys Retallack and Broz (2020) |
| Type species | |
| †Noffkarkys storaaslii Retallack and Broz (2020) | |
Description
Noffkarkys is an Ediacaran fossil frond with a fine pattern of rhombic quilts radiating from the base which does not include a rounded holdfast. Like other Ediacaran frond such as Trepassia which also lacks a holdfast,[2] Noffkarkys may have lived prone on the substrate. The fine quilting extends deep into the matrix from the upper side as seen in petrographic thin sections.[3]
Biological affinities
Noffkarkys is a problematic fossil like many Ediacaran genera, and is one of the few vendobionts that persisted into the Cambrian[3] Affinities may be with sea pens or lichens.[1]