Ernietta

• Nama Formation, Namibia
• White Sea, Russia

• Ernietta aarensis
• Ernietta plateuauensis
• Ernietta tschanabis

Ernietta is a genus of extinct creatures. Their representatives were living at the end of the geological age of the Ediacarian before about 545 million years. Their fossils show a variety of forms, with those of modern forms of life are difficult to compare. Therefore, the systematic classification of Ernitta considered difficult and controversial. In general Ernietta is regarded as an early representative of multicellular animals ( Metazoa ).

Features

Fossil records of Ernietta, involving Erniaster, Erniobaris, Erniobeta, Erniocarpus, Erniocentris, Erniocoris, Erniodiscus, Erniofossa, Erniograndis, Ernionorma, Erniopelta, Erniotaxis and Baikalina which are likely phenotypes of Ernietta plateauensis, have a variety of shapes and variability in their size. The body of Ernietta showed a bilateral or Gleitspiegelsymmetrie and had a breakdown or chambering on. The body axis of Ernietta was U-shaped bent so that the body of tubular or sac- like shape was. A back line was zigzag bent.

Way of life

In contrast to most other fossils ediacarischer life forms that are mainly obtained as a two-dimensional prints, Ernietta is three-dimensionally preserved in fossilized form. Inside of the body was filled with sand. These fossil finds suggest that Ernietta lived on the ocean floor and his body was partially buried. It is believed that Ernietta osmotroph is fed, that is to say that the food intake by means of osmosis across the body surface was.

System

Ernietta is combined with forms of life Ediacarian with similar shape as Phyllozoon, Pteridinium and Swartpuntia, under the name " Erniettomorphe ". Their systematic position is the subject of scientific debate. Usually Ernietta is assigned to the kingdom of multicellular animals ( Metazoa ). Due to their symmetry, they can be regarded as the ancestors of today's animals with two sides ( Bilateria ). Due to their construction an assignment to the core group of Neumundtiere or the chordates, or Acoelomorpha is discussed.

In addition to a systematic classification based on their bilateral symmetry, other mappings are discussed. Adolf Seilacher arranged Ernietta to the extinct Vendobionten, which he interpreted as a large chambered unicellular organisms.