Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Taxa

Cyclomedusa

Genus

Cyclomedusa is a genus of circular fossil from the Ediacaran biota, marked by a central bump surrounded by up to five concentric growth ridges and radial segment lines. First named by Reginald Sprigg in 1947 from Australian material, with the type species Cyclomedusa davidii, its fossils have since been found across Australia, Norway, England, Russia, China, Canada, Ukraine, Mexico and Brazil, ranging from a few centimeters to more than 20 centimeters across. Originally described as a jellyfish, most classifications now place it as an uncertain animal, if an animal at all, and some researchers argue it instead records a bottom dwelling microbial colony rather than a true organism.

Facts
Classification
Living or Extinct
No 1
Taxonomic Rank
Genus 2
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ2561750, descriptionView the Source
2. Wikipedia: Cyclomedusa
Wikipedia
  • Introduction
    Cyclomedusa is a circular fossil of the Ediacaran biota; it has a circular bump in the middle and as many as five circular growth ridges around it.
  • In Group: Ediacaran Problematic Fossils, Lead
    Cyclomedusa is a circular fossil of the Ediacaran biota; it has a circular bump in the middle and as many as five circular growth ridges around it.
View the Source
Wikidata: Cyclomedusa
Wikidata Q2561750, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.