Meishucun Micro-shelled Fauna

The fossils of this fauna come from the earliest Cambrian rocks in Meishucun in the Jinning area, Yunnan Province. The Meishucun fauna is characterised by the absence of trilobite fossils, and all of the fossils are micro-shelled fauna. This fauna is currently known to include 12 classes, 57 genera and 98 species. From the bottom to the top, the small shell fossils in the Meishucun Formation can be divided into three groups. (1) The first group is mainly composed of hyolithids, hyolithelminths, Monoplacophora, tubular fossils and globular fossils. (2) The second group contains many phyla with abundant fossil types, such as hyolithids, hyolithelminths, Monoplacophora, gastropods, exposed shell type fossils, brachiopods, tubular fossils, sclerite fossils, globular fossils, tooth-shaped type fossils and thoracic cavity fossils. This was the peak period for the development of small shell fossils. (3) The third group is composed of hyolithids, Monoplacophora, gastropods, hyolithelminths,...