Malungia
laevigata
Trilobite
Order Redlichiida, Family Dolerolenidae
Geological
Time: Early Cambrian, Canglangpuan Stage
Size: Trilobite
is 27 mm long
Fossil Site:
Hongjingshao Formation, Malong County, Qujing, Yunnan, China
Description:
This fine trilobite fossil comes from what has been termed
the “Malong Fauna”, found in the Honjingshao Formation.
Of Malong County, Yunnan Province, China. The genus derives its
name from the county, and is a redlichiid. Since the 1950s, five
important early Cambrian faunas have been discovered in southwest
China: Meishucun, Chengjiang, Kaili, Guanshan, and Malong. While
the first three have been studied in some detail, the latter
two have only been known for less than a decade, with material
coming to light with regularity. Both of these newly-studied
faunas are of the Canglanpuan Stage, and fill the 15 million
year time gap between the older Chengjiang and younger Kaili
Fauna. Of the two, the Malong is older and has a less diverse
fauna, characterized by trilobites, brachiopods, hyolithids,
and branchiopods. Nearly all the animal groups found in the Chengjiang
Fauna are also found in the Guanshan Fauna, although they typically
differ at the species level.
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