Small Bilaterian Fossils from 40 to 55 Million Years Before the Cambrian
- 9 July 2004
- journal article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 305 (5681), 218-222
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1099213
Abstract
Ten phosphatized specimens of a small (Vernanimalcula guizhouena gen. et sp. nov.) had paired coeloms extending the length of the gut; paired external pits that could be sense organs; bilateral, anterior-posterior organization; a ventrally directed anterior mouth with thick walled pharynx; and a triploblastic structure. The structural complexity is that of an adult rather than a larval form. These fossils provide the first evidence confirming the phylogenetic inference that Bilateria arose well before the Cambrian.Keywords
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