Burykhia

Burykhia hunti is an Ediacaran fossil from the White Sea region of Russia dating to 555 million years ago. It is considered of possibly ascidian affinity, due to the sac-like morphology and a series of distinctly perforated bands reminiscent of a tunicate pharynx. If B. hunti is a tunicate, it could be the oldest ascidian fossil known as of its publication in 2012.^[1] It is possibly related to the slightly younger Ausia, another putative ascidian from the Vendian biota in Namibia.^[1] In the case of Burykhia, the narrow longitudinal vessels support affinity with the suborder Phlebobranchia.

Burykhia Temporal range: 555 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
reconstruction as a tunicate-like animal
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Tunicata
Class:	Ascidiacea (?)
Family:	†Ausiidae
Genus:	†Burykhia Fedonkin, Vickers-Rich, Swalla, Trusler & Hall, 2012
Species:	†B. hunti
Binomial name
†Burykhia hunti Fedonkin, Vickers-Rich, Swalla, Trusler & Hall, 2012

Burykhia does not appear to have been colonial.^[1]

See also

• List of Ediacaran genera

References

1. Fedonkin, M. A.; Vickers-Rich, P.; Swalla, B. J.; Trusler, P.; Hall, M. (2012). "A new metazoan from the Vendian of the White Sea, Russia, with possible affinities to the ascidians". Paleontological Journal. 46: 1. doi:10.1134/S0031030112010042.