Corumbella, an Ediacaran-grade organism from the Late Neoproterozoic of Brazil

The morphology and phylogenetic affinities of Corumbella werneri [Hahn, G., Hahn, R., Leonardos, O. H., Pflug, H. D., and Walde, D.H.G., 1982. Korperlich erhaltene Scyphozoen-Reste aus dem Jungprakambrium Brasiliens. Geologica et Paleontologica, 16:1-18.], type species of the genus, is reinterpreted based on new material from the Tamengo Formation (Corumba Group; Upper Neoproterozoic) of western Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Corumbella secreted a narrow, elongate, tetraradially symmetrical tube. Reinterpretation of tube morphology and new evidence of reproduction by means of budding indicate close affinities with the present-day coronate scyphozoan cnidarian Stephanoscyphus, and possibly the conulariids. Corumbella species were distributed between the Amazon craton and Laurentia. Corumbella is interpreted as a sessile predator, and provides evidence of the importance of predation in animal evolution during the Late Neoproterozoic. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.