Another Batch of CJ stuff -- one Fake!

[dinodragon]

Hello, there,

Here is another batch of Cambrian Explosion from ChengJiang, YunNan, under polarizing digital microscope.

One of these was a "manufactured" fossil. See if you can identify it? So, be very careful when you buy fossils from China. Too many were manufactured. I have several in one of my special displaying cabinet for people to learn how skillful these manufacturers can do.

Again, any help for identification will be very highly appreciated.


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Number 1

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Number 2
The above two is an alga.

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Number 3
(This is a manufactured fake.)

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Number 4: Kunmingella douvillei

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Number 5: in-filled burrow tubes?

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Number 6: some sort of clam shell?

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Number 7: portion of a sponge (was told).

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Number 8: Maotianshania cylindrica

[pleecan (Peter Lee)]

Fossil #3 is a fake is my guess, too many linear lines... just a gut feel.... just looks fake the fossil just looks unnatural like plastic ie too rigid...

[Joe Botting]

Hi Tim,
Another nice bunch! The first is an alga, but I can't remember the name - will try to find it. Picture 3 is a spectacularly fake (but yes, I really had to look!) lobopod. They're never that good. The main thing is the linear scrathings pretending to preparation, but which is really where they smoothed the rock down before painting on the fossil... and they got the structure of some of the appendages a bit wrong... (I really hope this one is the fake now..!).
Next: a bradoriid with some nice soft tissues (I think I see eyes, some appendage bits). The valve form and soft parts don't seem quite right for Kunmingella, to me, and I'm not sure what the other options are. Again, will see what I can find out.
The strange thing after that is difficult to say for sure. I really can't rule out alga (perhaps the holdfast end), but also worth looking at is Protosagitta, a Chengjiang chaetognath. See:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2197202/
The elongate carapace should be distinctive - I've not seen any quite that shape before. If it's been described, it's not one I've seen (but then, I don't do arthropods, so that's quite likely!).
The strange iron-stained structures look like impressions of plant roots in a weathered surface - no fossil there, I'm afraid.
Finally, the worm is spectacular! It seems to be Cricocosmia, but is certainly one of the priapulids. A really beautiful specimen!

[dinodragon]

Hello, Peter and Joe,

The first two are two sides of an alga. I really like this one. Small, but very complete and clear.

Both of you are right, Picture 3 is a spectacularly fake.

Number 4 is Kunmingella.

Number 5 is so weird that I really don't know what to say. Along with #3 and #4 from my previous batch of photos, I am guessing these are in-filled burrow tubes.

Number 6, the elongate carapace -- some sort of clam shell?

Number 7, it is just a small portion of a sponge. Well, that was what I was told by Ms Zhou (a bug was named for her works there) when we went to the site together.

Number 8, Maotianshania cylindrica