Protohertzina

Protohertzina Temporal range: Early Cambrian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	†Conodonta? Chaetognatha?
Order:	? Paraconodonta?
Family:	Amphigeisinidae?
Genus:	†Protohertzina Missarzhevsky, 1973
Species
Protohertzina anabarica Missarzhevsky 1973 (type) Protohertzina cultrata Missarzhevsky 1977 Protohertzina dabashanensis Yang and He 1984 Hastina quadrigoniata Yang and He 1984 Protohertzina robusta Qian 1977 Protohertzina siciformis Missarzhevsky 1973 Protohertzina unguliformis Missarzhevsky 1973
Synonyms
Emeidus Chen 1982 Hastina Yang and He 1984

Protohertzina is a genus of conodonts ( or paraconodonts) or, possibly, Chaetognaths, found at the beginning of the Cambrian explosion.

Protoconodonts are an extinct taxonomic group of conodonts.Chaetognaths (also known as arrow worms) were thought possibly to be related to some of the animals grouped with the conodonts. The conodonts themselves, however, are thought to be related to the vertebrates. It is now thought that protoconodont elements (e.g., Protohertzina anabarica Missarzhevsky, 1973), are probably grasping spines of chaetognaths rather than teeth of conodonts.

Protohertzina fossils have been found in the Ingta Formation of Canada.

The earliest known fossils of the late Precambrian and early Cambrian come from the small shelly fossil assemblage of the Anabarites trisulcatus Zone of the Lower Nemakit-Daldynian Stage, Siberia. They are analogous to China's Anabarites trisulcatus-Protohertzina anabarica Zone of the basal Meishucunian Stage.

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Wikipedia