The Early Cambrian medusiform metazoan Eldonia from the Chenjiang Lagerstätte
Chen Jun-yuan, Zhu Mao-yan, and Zhou Gui-qing
The alleged Chengjiang scyphozoans Stellostomites eumorphus and Yunnanomedusa eleganta are conspecific. Because of the strong resemblance to the Burgess Shale type species of Eldonia, the Chinese species is relocated to this genus.
Eldonia, originally described as a holothurian, on anatomical grounds may as well be interpreted as a lophophorate. The superficial resemblance to jelly-fish is apparently a result of adaptation to pelagic life. Although the extant lophophorates are without exception sedentary, their pelagic relatives were probably abundant in the Early Paleozoic.
Key words: Early Cambrian, Eldonia, lophophorate, Chenjiang, China.
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