Vendophyceae

Fossil of Tawuia dalensis, from the Miller Museum of Geology.

Belongs within: Corticata.

The Vendophyceae is a grouping (largely of convenience) of multicellular fossil algae known from the Ediacaran (late Precambrian). Members of this group include the ribbon-like Vendotaeniales, and the compressed tubular Archyfasma (Gnilovskaya 2003).

Characters (from Gnilovskaya 2003): Thallus (phytoleim) megascopic, unmineralised, multicellular. Thallu ribbonlike, compressed, tubular, straight or branching, formed by cellular tissues. Sporangia in longitudinal rows.

<==Vendophyceae
    |  i. s.: Dvinia Gnilovskaya 1979 G03
    |--Archyfasma Gnilovskaya 2003 [Archyfasmaceae, Archyfasmales] G03
    |    `--*A. dimera Gnilovskaya 2003 G03
    |--Eoholynia Gnilovskaya 1975 G79 [Eoholyniales G03]
    |    `--*E. mosquensis Gnilovskaya 1975 G79
    `--Vendotaeniales G03
         |--Vendotaenia Gnilovskaya 1971 G03
         |    `--*V. antiqua Gnilovskaya 1971 G79
         |--Tyrasotaenia Gnilovskaya 1971 G03
         |    `--*T. podolica Gnilovskaya 1971 H85
         `--Tawuia Hofmann & Aitken 1979 SWZ86, H98 [Tawuiaceae]
              `--*T. dalensis Hofmann in Hofmann & Aitken 1979 HR94 (see below for synonymy)

*Tawuia dalensis Hofmann in Hofmann & Aitken 1979 HR94 [incl. Ellipsophysa axicula Zheng 1980 H85, Pumilibaxa huaiheiana Zheng 1980 H85, P. huaihoiana H85, Shouhsienia longa Xing 1979 (n. n.) H85, Shouhsien longa H85, Nephroformia liulaobeiensis Zheng 1980 H85, N. liulaopeiensis H85, Ellipsophysa proceriaxis Zheng 1980 H85, Shouhsienia shouhsienensis Du 1982 H85, Tawuia sinensis Duan 1982 H85, T. striatia Zheng 1980 H85, T. striatis H85]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[G79] Glaessner, M. F. 1979. Precambrian. In: Robison, R. A., & C. Teichert (eds) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt A. Introduction. Fossilisation (Taphonomy), Biogeography and Biostratigraphy pp. A79–A118. The Geological Society of America, Inc.: Boulder (Colorado), and The University of Kansas: Lawrence (Kansas).

[G03] Gnilovskaya, M. B. 2003. The oldest tissue differentiation in Precambrian (Vendian) algae. Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal 2003 (2): 92–98 (transl. Paleontological Journal 37 (2): 196–204).

[H98] Haines, P. W. 1998. Chuaria Walcott, 1899 in the lower Wessel Group, Arafura Basin, northern Australia. Alcheringa 22 (1): 1–8.

[H85] Hofmann, H. J. 1985. The mid-Proterozoic Little Dal macrobiota, Mackenzzie Mountains, north-west Canada. Palaeontology 28 (2): 332–354.

[HR94] Hofmann, H. J., & R. H. Rainbird. 1994. Carbonaceous megafossils from the Neoproterozoic Shaler Supergroup of Arctic Canada. Palaeontology 37 (4): 721–731.

[SWZ86] Sun W. G., Wang G. X. & Zhou B. H. 1986. Macroscopic worm-like body fossils from the upper Precambrian (900–700 Ma), Hiainan district, Anhui, China and their stratigraphic and evolutionary significance. Precambrian Research 31: 377–403.