Hapsidophyllas Temporal range: Ediacaran
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Paleoart by Max Endieveri modeled after Bamforth & Narbonne | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | †Petalonamae |
Genus: | †Hapsidophyllas Bamforth and Narbonne, 2009 |
Species: | †H. flexibilis
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Binomial name | |
†Hapsidophyllas flexibilis Bamforth and Narbonne, 2009
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Hapsidophyllas is a rare Ediacaran rangeomorph fossil found at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada. It was first identified by Emily Bamforth and Guy Narbonne in 2009. Because its characteristic flexible leaflet structure is dissimilar to other known rangeomorphs, Bamforth and Narbonne describe it as a new rangeomorph form, called hapsidophyllid. The only other known hapsidophyllid is the Ediacaran frond Frondophyllas grandis, which shares the network-like configuration of leaflets seen in Hapsidophyllas. Currently, the Hapsidophyllas flexibilis holotype resides in its type locality in the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, and a cast of the specimen is on display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.[1][2]