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Paleontological evidence for the supposed precambrian occurrence of mollusks

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The paper discusses a group of the Late Vendian fossils supposedly related to mollusks. The fossils include imprints with some anatomical characteristics of mollusks, traces resembling scratch marks left by radula, and structures resembling soft shells. Kimberella quadrata, which is represented by all the above kinds of fossils was most likely a trochophore animal of a pre-molluscan evolutionary stage. Remains of Armillifera parva and Solza margarita only slightly resemble shells, and in the absence of the knowledge on the soft body of these animals there are no enongh evidences affiliate them with mollusks.

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  1. Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 123, Moscow, 117997, Russia

    A. Yu. Ivantsov

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Ivantsov, A.Y. Paleontological evidence for the supposed precambrian occurrence of mollusks. Paleontol. J. 44, 1552–1559 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031030110120105

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