Shaanxilithes fossil map
Where fossils of Shaanxilithes 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 |
| Family | Cloudinidae |
| Named by | Xing et al. 1984 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 5 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China, Namibia |
| Rock formations | Dengying, Zhoujieshan, Zhengmuguan, Nudaus |
About Shaanxilithes
Shaanxilithes is an extinct tubular organism from the late Ediacaran of Asia and Africa. It is a monotypic genus, containing only Shaanxilithes ningqiangensis.
Once considered a trace fossil, and a junior synonym of either Nenoxites and Gaojiashania, later studies found it to be a body fossil of a distinct genus with a tube-in-tube construction, bearing similarities to the cloudinids. Another study would instead note there being a group Shaanzilithes-like of organisms, including Shaanxilithes and Nenoxites, and put forward a total-group eumetazoan interpretation for Shaanxilithes. Alongside this, its wide distribution, but constrained temporal range across Asia and Africa has seen some studies consider it for use as an index fossil, with some more recent studies done in China using them as such.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Shaanxilithes (revision 1369786733), 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: Q138912234.
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