Maotianoascus fossil map
Where fossils of Maotianoascus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 525 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 525 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ediacaran & Cambrian life |
|---|---|
| Lived | 521–514.5 million years ago (Stage 3) |
| Periods | Cambrian |
| Named by | Chen and Zhou 1997 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Heilinpu, Yuanshan |
About Maotianoascus
Maotianoascus octonarius is an extinct species of stem-group ctenophore, known from the Chinese Maotianshan shales of Yunnan. It is dated to Cambrian Stage 3 and belongs to late Early Cambrian strata.
The species is remarkable for its set of eight massive lobes.
A phylogenetic study of Cambrian stem-group ctenophores recovered Maotianoascus in Scleroctenophora, along with Galeactena, Thaumactena, Batofasciculus, Gemmactena and Trigoides.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Maotianoascus (revision 1360559350), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q16976333.
