Protonympha

Protonympha is a form genus created for a set of flat, quilted fossils of Devonian age preserved in sandstone in New York state using Ediacaran style preservation, and comprising two recognized species, P. transversa and P. salicifolia. Morphologically it resembles the Ediacaran fossil Spriggina, leading some researchers to propose it as a late surviving vendobiont that persisted long after the Ediacaran period proper. Its true biological nature remains disputed, with comparisons made variously to starfish arms, annelid worms and even a terrestrial, lichen like organism.