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Shishania is a chancelloriid and not a Cambrian mollusk

Yang, Jie; Li, Wei; Chen, Ai-lin; Du, Kun-sheng; Peng, Xiao; Wang, Yu; Zhang, Xi-guang; Smith, Martin

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Authors

Jie Yang

Wei Li

Ai-lin Chen

Kun-sheng Du

Xiao Peng

Yu Wang

Xi-guang Zhang



Abstract

The Cambrian evolutionary radiation is noted for its profusion of bizarre and unfamiliar body forms, many of which illuminate the early ancestry of major animal groups. The spine-covered fossil Shishania aculeata (Cambrian Stage 4, Yunnan, China) has been interpreted as intermediate between mollusks and their lophotrochozoan ancestors. Our new material challenges this interpretation. We propose taphonomic explanations for apparent molluscan features and instead identify prominent anatomical similarities to coeval chancelloriids from nearby strata. Our reinterpretation of Shishania as an early-diverging chancelloriid helps to consolidate a model for the early evolution of this enduringly problematic group of sponge-like metazoans.

Citation

Yang, J., Li, W., Chen, A.-L., Du, K.-S., Peng, X., Wang, Y., Zhang, X.-G., & Smith, M. (2025). Shishania is a chancelloriid and not a Cambrian mollusk. Science, 388(6747), 662-664. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adv4635

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 26, 2025
Online Publication Date May 8, 2025
Publication Date May 8, 2025
Deposit Date Mar 27, 2025
Publicly Available Date May 23, 2025
Journal Science
Print ISSN 0036-8075
Electronic ISSN 1095-9203
Publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 388
Issue 6747
Pages 662-664
DOI https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adv4635
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3743040

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