A gregarious lingulid brachiopod Longtancunella chengjiangensis from the Lower Cambrian, South China

Longtancunella chengjiangensis, one of the sparse lingulid brachiopods from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstatten of southwestern China, is characterized by a sub- circular shell shape, stout pedicle, and notably by gregarious occurrences in the fossils. This brachiopod form was briefly reported in 1999, but its detailed description, however, remains to be done. The material in our collection is remarkably well preserved and allows accounts of the shell morphology and of valve interiors, including lophophores, mantle canals, and a digestive tract. When compared with the coeval lingulid brachiopod Xianshanella haikouensis Zhang & Han, 2004, L. chengjiangensis exhibits some distinct features, notably tenuous marginal setae and distinguishable mantle canals and a relative short pedicle tapering posteriorly.