Yarnemia
Extinct genus of possible tunicates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yarnemia ascidiformis is a fossil tentatively classified as a tunicate. If this classification is correct, it would significantly extend the range of the tunicate fossil record from the Cambrian back into the Ediacaran.[2]
Nesov in Chistyakov et al., 1984
| Yarnemia Temporal range: Late Ediacaran ~ | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reconstruction as a tunicate-like animal | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata (?) |
| Genus: | †Yarnemia Nesov in Chistyakov et al., 1984 |
| Species: | †Y. ascidiformis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Yarnemia ascidiformis Nesov in Chistyakov et al., 1984 | |
Discovery and name
The holotype fossil of Yarnemia was found from the Ustʹ Pinega Formation between 1976 and 1978, and described in 1984.[3]
The generic name Yarnemia comes from the village of Yarnema near which the first specimens were found. The specific epithet, ascidiformis, refers to the likeness to ascidians.[3]
Description
Yarnemia ascidiformis is a possible tunicate, growing up to 30 mm (1.2 in) in length, with the standard oblong body and two openings, or siphons, on the top of the body to allow water to flow through them.
See also
Other Ediacaran biota tentatively identified as tunicates include