Rugoconites enigmaticus & Rugoconites tenuirugosus

Rugoconites enigmaticus and Rugoconites tenuirugosus are triradial, fractally branching organisms from the Ediacara Member of South Australia. Thought to be sessile, they can range from less than 1 cm in diameter up to 20 cm. The main difference between the species is that R. tenuirugosus has more and much finer branches. One of the more enigmatic taxa, little is known about their biology and ecology.

Specimen number: SAM P55583, SAM P49259
Geological age: Ediacaran
State/territory: South Australia
Locality/site: Flinders Ranges

(Text: Tory L. Botha and Diego C. García-Bellido, UofA and SAM)

SAM P55583

• Published/figured in Hall et al. 2018 (fig. 1D)
• Hall, C. S., Droser, M. L. and Gehling, J. G. 2018. Sizing up Rugoconites: a study of the ontogeny and ecology of an enigmatic Ediacaran genus

SAM P49259

South Australian Museum gallery specimen.