Pseudorhizostomites fossil map
Where fossils of Pseudorhizostomites have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 555 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 555 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 | 635–538.8 million years ago (Ediacaran) |
| Periods | Ediacaran |
| Named by | Sprigg 1949 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | Rawnsley Quartzite |
About Pseudorhizostomites
Pseudorhizostomites howchini is an enigmatic member of the Ediacaran Biota which was in the past thought to have been a jellyfish of some kind (Sepkoski, 2002). P. howchini is now thought to either have been a pseudofossil, a gas escape structure or perhaps the result of a rangeomorph holdfast being pulled by currents or, if any of these possibilities are not true, some other force from the sediments which enclosed the fossil.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pseudorhizostomites (revision 1344360520), 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: Q106548338.
