A rigid‐bodied Ediacaran Biota from Upper Cambrian strata in Co. Wexford, Eire

Abstract Two typical representatives of the Ediacaran biota, Ediacaria booleyi n.sp. and Nimbia occlusa have been found in deep‐water turbidites within the Upper Cambrian Booley Bay Formation at Booley Bay in Co. Wexford, Eire. The examples of E. booleyi were transported over short distances by the turbidity currents and then impacted, in some instances at high angles, into the ocean floor muds where they formed moulds but, as their bodies decayed, these were filled by casting sand from the overlying turbidite. They preserved fine detail during transportation and impaction, thereby indicating the existence of a rigid body wall. The three‐dimensional nature of their preservation allows reconstruction, which shows that Ediacaria had a discoid form with prominent relief, particularly on its dorsal side, which was divided into three main concentric zones with thin radial features, more evident at the periphery. The ventral side had lower relief, with alternate areas of coarse and fine concentric markings and numerous fine radial lines, some also thicker at the periphery. Nimbia occlusa are disc‐like bodies of low relief and occur in profusion on one sole. Some show a circular outline indicating that they were preserved flat on the bedding plane, but others occur as semicircular reliefs oriented in the palaeocurrent direction. This indicates that they too were moved by the turbidity current, but their abundance and excellent preservation indicate that transport distances were short. There is no evidence in either genus for the coelenterate characteristics of a mouth and a two‐layered body wall enclosing a single cavity. This, and the evidence for a rigid outer wall, adds to recent doubt on the concept of the world‐wide Ediacaran fauna as dominated by soft‐bodied coelenterates.