Spriggina

Spriggina floundersi

• Flinders Ranges, Australia
• White Sea, Russia
• Iran

• Spriggina floundersi
• Spriggina ovata

Spriggina is a genus of extinct creatures. Their representatives were living in the Ediacaran, some 550 million years ago. The systematic classification of the genus is controversial. Due to the characteristics of their fossils, they are usually viewed as an early arthropods and possible ancestors of trilobites. Alternatively, an assignment to the Vendobionten or annelids was discussed. The genus was named after the Spriggina Australian geologist Reginald Sprigg.

Features

Fossils of Spriggina show an up to 5 cm long, segmented body. The number of segments is between 20 and 40, and varies between the fossil record. The two front segments differ from the other segments. These two horseshoe-shaped segments are interpreted as head. The two wells contained therein may experience eye dar. also possible evidence of a mouth were found. Of the body segments go from unsegmented parapodia -like limbs, the ends of which bear setae.

System

The systematic classification of Spriggina is discussed controversially in the literature. In general, the genus of the realm of multicellular animals ( Metazoa ) is assigned. The describer Martin Glaessner arranged Spriggina those covered by the annelids Vielborstern ( Polychaetae ) to. Fossils of Spriggina show a similarity to some of today's Vielborstern such as Tomopteris. The majority of paleontologists assigns Spriggina the core group of arthropods line to. Morphological similarities have a relationship with the suspect trilobites. However, this assignment is not without controversy. Unlike trilobites also lacks any trace fossils for Spriggina. Adolf Seilacher arranged Spriggina to the extinct Vendobioten, which he interpreted as a large single-celled organisms.