Shankouclava

Shankouclava; Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3 520 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Restoration of S. anningense.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Tunicata
Genus:	†Shankouclava; Chen et al., 2003
Type species
	†Shankouclava anningense; Chen et al., 2003
Species
	†S. anningense Chen et al., 2003; †S. shankouense Chen et al., 2003;

Shankouclava is an extinct genus of tunicate. It represents the oldest, unequivocal genus of tunicates, from 520 million years ago. It has been found in the Lower Cambrian Maotianshan Shale at Shankou village, Anning, near Kunming (South China). Each of the eight specimens found and used for description were isolated, suggesting that the genus was solitary and not colonial. The generic name is composed of the fossil locality, Shankou, and the Latin word clava (club-shaped).[1]

Shankouclava had a soft, sac-like body that was elongated and pointed proximally. The body lengths of individuals vary from 2 cm (0.8 in) to 4 cm (1.6 in).[1]

References

Chen, Jun-Yuan; Huang, Di-Ying; Peng, Qing-Qing; Chi, Hui-Mei; Wang,Xiu-Qiang; Feng, Man (2003). "The first tunicate from the Early Cambrian of South China". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (14): 8314–8318. doi:10.1073/pnas.1431177100. PMC 166226. PMID 12835415.

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[:1-1] Chen, Jun-Yuan; Huang, Di-Ying; Peng, Qing-Qing; Chi, Hui-Mei; Wang,Xiu-Qiang; Feng, Man (2003). "The first tunicate from the Early Cambrian of South China". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (14): 8314–8318. doi:10.1073/pnas.1431177100. PMC 166226. PMID 12835415.