Dengying Formation

{{Short description|Geologic formation in China}} {{Infobox rockunit | name = Dengying Formation | image = DuoshantuoDengyingTransition.jpg | caption = Transition between uppermost Doushantuo Formation and lowermost Dengying Formation | type = Formation | period = Ediacaran | age = Ediacaran<br />~{{fossil range|551|539}} | prilithology = Dolomite | otherlithology = Chert, Limestone, Siltstone, Sandstone, Conglomerate, Mudstone, Shale | namedfor = Dengying Gorge, Hubei | namedby = | region = Yangtze Gorges | country = China | unitof = | subunits = See: Members | underlies = * Hubei Province ** (Disconformably) Yanjiahe Formation<ref name="Chang2017">{{cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=Shan |last2=Feng |first2=Qinglai |last3=Clausen |first3=Sébastien |last4=Zhang |first4=Lei |title=Sponge spicules from the lower Cambrian in the Yanjiahe Formation, South China: The earliest biomineralizing sponge record |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |date=May 2017 |volume=474 |pages=36–44 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.06.032 |bibcode=2017PPP...474...36C }}</ref> * Yunnan Province ** Zhujiaqing Formation<ref name="Li2026"/> * Shaanxi Province ** Kuanchuanpu Formation<ref name="Fan2026"/> ** Huoshiwan Formation<ref name="Yang2026">{{cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Sujiao |last2=Zhang |first2=Shixi |last3=Luo |first3=Yingjie |last4=Cheng |first4=Jiulong |last5=Luo |first5=Kunli |title=Constraints of paleoenvironment on selenium enrichment of the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition period Lujiaping Group in the North Daba Mountains, China |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |date=April 2026 |volume=688 |article-number=113637 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113637}}</ref> * Sichuan Province ** Maidiping Formation ** Qiongzhusi Formation<ref name="Luo2026"/> * Jiangxi Province ** Hetang Formation<ref name="ZhouXiao2006">{{cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=Chuanming |last2=Xiao |first2=Shuhai |date=2006 |title=Ediacaran .δ13C chemostratigraphy of South China |journal=Chemical Geology |volume=237 |issue=1–2 |pages=89–108 |doi=10.1016/j.chemgeo.2006.06.021 }}</ref> | overlies = * Hubei Province ** Doushantuo Formation<ref name="Condon2005">{{cite journal|last1=Condon|first1=Daniel|last2=Zhu|first2=Maoyan|last3=Bowring|first3=Samuel|last4=Wang|first4=Wei|last5=Yang|first5=Aihua|last6=Jin|first6=Yugan|date=2005|title=U–Pb ages from the Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation, China|journal=Science|volume=308|issue=5718|pages=5–98|doi=10.1126/science.1107765|pmid=15731406|jstor=3841402|s2cid=11673032|doi-access=free|bibcode=2005Sci...308...95C }}</ref> * Yunnan Province ** Lunasi Formation * Shaanxi Province ** Doushantuo Formation<ref name="Yang2026"/> * Sichuan Province ** Labagang Formation ** Doushantuo Formation<ref name="Luo2026"/> * Jiangxi Province ** Doushantuo Formation<ref name="ZhouXiao2006"/> | thickness = {{cvt|1000|m|ft}}<ref name="Li1999">{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=R. |last2=Chen |first2=J. |last3=Zhang |first3=S. |last4=Lei |first4=J. |last5=Shen |first5=Y. |last6=Chen |first6=X. |title=Spatial and temporal variations in carbon and sulfur isotopic compositions of Sinian sedimentary rocks in the Yangtze platform, South China |journal=Precambrian Research |date=August 1999 |volume=97 |issue=1-2 |pages=59–75 |doi=10.1016/S0301-9268(99)00022-4}}</ref> | extent = | area = | coordinates = {{coord|30|59.12|N|111|13.27|E|display=inline,title}} | map = {{Location map+ | China#China Hubei | relief = 1 | width = 200 | float = center | places = {{Location map~ | China#China Hubei | lat_deg = 30 | lon_deg = 111 | mark = Dark Green 004040 pog.svg | marksize = 10 }} }} }}

The '''Dengying Formaiton''' is a large geologic formation found in South China, and was deposited during the late Ediacaran between 551 – {{val|539|ul=Ma}} on a shallow marine carbonate platform. Due to the great area the formation covers, it not only contains a wide range of members for each province it outcrops in, but also contains differing modes of taphonomic preservation, from the common Ediacaran-type preservation, to the rarer Burgess Shale-type preservation.

Recent studies from some of the middle members of the formation have also yielded rare transitional fossiliferous rocks, namely between the Ediacaran biota and the Cambrian biota, providing insight as to where some Cambrian lineages may have started and diversified from, and filling in many empty gaps between the Ediacaran and Cambrian.

== Geology == Due to the large area that the Dengying Formation covers, the geology and members within the formation differ from province to province. These members are listed below in ascending stratigraphic order (lowest to highest), under the respective provinces they are found in:

=== Members === ==== Hubei Province Members ==== The formation within the Hubei Province primarily lies within the Yangtze Gorges area, overlaying the Doushantuo Formation,<ref name="Condon2005"/> whilst it disconformably underlies the Cambrian aged Yanjiahe Formation.<ref name="Chang2017">{{cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=Shan |last2=Feng |first2=Qinglai |last3=Clausen |first3=Sébastien |last4=Zhang |first4=Lei |title=Sponge spicules from the lower Cambrian in the Yanjiahe Formation, South China: The earliest biomineralizing sponge record |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |date=May 2017 |volume=474 |pages=36–44 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.06.032 |bibcode=2017PPP...474...36C }}</ref>

* '''Hamajing Member''': This member is characterized by light grey, medium- to thick-bedded dolomite, intercalated with thin layers of chert.<ref name="ZhouXiao2006" /> * '''Shibantan Member''': This member is interpreted to represent a subtidal environment and is composed of dark grey, thin-bedded bituminous limestone. It is the most fossiliferous member of the Dengying Formation in Hubei and has yielded several trace fossils, such as ''Lamonte'',<ref name="MeyerEtAl2014">{{cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=Mike |last2=Xiao |first2=Shuhai |last3=Gill |first3= Benjamin C. |last4=Schiffbauer |first4=James D. |last5=Chen |first5=Zhe|last6=Zhou|first6=Chuanming|last7=Yuan|first7=Xunlai|date=2014 |title=Interactions between Ediacaran animals and microbial mats: Insights from ''Lamonte trevallis'', a new trace fossil from the Dengying Formation of South China |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=396 |pages=62–74 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.12.026 |bibcode=2014PPP...396...62M }}</ref> as well as possible lobopodian trackways.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Zhe |last2=Chen |first2=Xiang |last3=Zhou |first3=Chuanming |last4=Yuan |first4=Xunlai |last5=Xiao |first5=Shuhai |title=Late Ediacaran trackways produced by bilaterian animals with paired appendages |journal=Science Advances |date=June 2018 |volume=4 |issue=6 |article-number=eaao6691 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aao6691|pmid=29881773 |pmc=5990303 |bibcode=2018SciA....4.6691C |hdl=10919/84444 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> * '''Baimatuo Member''': This member is primarily composed of light grey, thick-bedded dolomite.<ref name="ZhouXiao2006" />

Traditionally, the '''Tianzhushan Member''' was considered to be the uppermost unit of the Dengying Formation in Hubei. However, its small shelly fossils and ''Micrhystridium''-like acritarchs are a shared characteristic with the Cambrian aged Yanjiahe Formation.<ref name="ZhouXiao2006" />

==== Yunnan Province Members ==== The formation can be found outcropping near the Fuxian Lake, and overlies the Lunasi Formation, whilst it underlies the Cambrian aged Zhujiaqing Formation.<ref name="Li2026"/>

* '''Donlongtan Member''': This member is primarily composed of argilaceous dolomite rocks.<ref name="Li2026">{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Gaorong |last2=Wei |first2=Fan |last3=Wen |first3=Wenwen |last4=Wang |first4=Xiaodong |last5=Lei |first5=Xiangtong |last6=Anderson |first6=Ross P. |last7=Zhao |first7=Yang |last8=Dunn |first8=Frances S. |last9=Parry |first9=Luke A. |last10=Cong |first10=Peiyun |title=The dawn of the Phanerozoic: A transitional fauna from the late Ediacaran of Southwest China |journal=Science |date=2 April 2026 |volume=392 |issue=6793 |pages=63–68 |doi=10.1126/science.adu2291}}</ref> * '''Jiucheng Member''': This member is dominated by various siltstone layers, with layers of sandstone throughout. This member is also fossiliferous in nature, containing the Jiangchuan Biota, with known forms such as ''Alienum'' and ''Lobodiscus'' being present with in member, as well as a number of yet to be described fossils which bear striking resemblances to many Cambrian animals.<ref name="Li2026"/> * '''Baiyanshao Member''': This member is predominately composed of dolomitic siltstone, which is argilaceous in nature.<ref name="Li2026"/>

==== Shaanxi Province Members ==== The formation in the Shaanxi Province is composed of three members, and is underlain by the Doushantuo Formation, whilst it is overlain by the Cambrain aged Kuanchuanpu and Huoshiwan Formations.<ref name="Cui2019">{{cite journal |last1=Cui |first1=Huan |last2=Xiao |first2=Shuhai |last3=Cai |first3=Yaoping |last4=Peek |first4=Sara |last5=Plummer |first5=Rebecca E. |last6=Kaufman |first6=Alan J. |title=Sedimentology and chemostratigraphy of the terminal Ediacaran Dengying Formation at the Gaojiashan section, South China |journal=Geological Magazine |date=November 2019 |volume=156 |issue=11 |pages=1924–1948 |doi=10.1017/s0016756819000293|pmc=6800678 }}</ref><ref name="Fan2026"/><ref name="Yang2026"/>

* '''Algal Dolomite''': This member is predominately composed of light-gray peritidal dolostones, with paleo-karst structures being common throughout the member.<ref name="Fan2026">{{cite journal |last1=Fan |first1=Yonghan |last2=Cheng |first2=Meng |last3=Chen |first3=Xinyang |last4=Rose |first4=Catherine |last5=Wang |first5=Haiyang |last6=Zhang |first6=Zihu |last7=Algeo |first7=Thomas J. |last8=Li |first8=Chao |title=Carbonate-associated phosphate evidence for a small inorganic phosphorus reservoir in the terminal Ediacaran ocean |journal=Global and Planetary Change |date=March 2026 |volume=258 |article-number=105284 |doi=10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105284|hdl=10023/33457 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> * '''Gaojiashan Member''': This member is further sub-divided into three units. Unit 1 of the member is primarily composed of silstone, which it then inter-bedded with thin dolomite. This then transitions in Unit 2, which is predominately composed of dolomitic siltstones, with layers of calcareous mudstone and limestone found throughout. Then, at the top, Unit 3 differs greatly in being composed of conglomerate and sandstone, with layers of carbonate cement. This is also the fossiliferous member of the province, containing organisms such as ''Cloudina''.<ref name="Fan2026"/> * '''Beiwan Member''': This member is composed of grayish-white intra-clastic dolostone with occasional layers of chert near the base of the member, as well as locally occurring bitumen.<ref name="Fan2026"/> It also contains an extensive microfossil assemblage.<ref name="Chen2026">{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Wei |last2=Cai |first2=Yaoping |last3=Wang |first3=Xiaoyang |last4=Xiao |first4=Shuhai |last5=Hua |first5=Hong |title=Systematic description of new phosphatized skeletal fossils from the upper Dengying Formation in southern Shaanxi Province of South China and their implications for the evolution of terminal Ediacaran biomineralizers |journal=Precambrian Research |date=August 2026 |volume=441 |article-number=108132 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2026.108132}}</ref>

Much like the Yanjiahe Formation in Hubei, the Kuanchuanpu Formation is also occasionally placed as a member of the Dengying Formation in Shaanxi,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yao |first1=Xiaoyong |last2=Han |first2=Jian |last3=Jiao |first3=Guoxiang |title=Early Cambrian epibolic gastrulation: A perspective from the Kuanchuanpu Member, Dengying Formation, Ningqiang, Shaanxi, South China |journal=Gondwana Research |date=November 2011 |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=844–851 |doi=10.1016/j.gr.2011.04.003}}</ref> however it is likely separate for the same reasons.

==== Sichuan Province Members ==== The formation within the Sichuan Province is found outcropping in the Sichuan Basin in Southwestern China, as is primarily most well known for its gas reservoirs that can be found throughout the local area,<ref name="Luo2026"/> such as the Weiyuan Gas Field.<ref name="Pu1991">{{cite journal |last1=Pu |first1=Fan |last2=Qianxiang |first2=Meng |last3=Xinke |first3=Yu |title=Biomarkers of Upper Sinian cyanobacterial dolostones in southwest China |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Earth Sciences |date=January 1991 |volume=5 |issue=1-4 |pages=129–154 |doi=10.1016/0743-9547(91)90020-X}}</ref> It is underlain once more by the Doushantou Formation, whilst it is overlain by the Cambrian aged Qiongzhusi Formation.<ref name="Luo2026"/>

* '''First Member''': This member is predominately composed of gray dolomite, which is micritic in nature. There are also occasional algal dolomites throughout, with gypsum and mudstone inter-bedded within.<ref name="Luo2026">{{cite journal |last1=Luo |first1=Liyuan |last2=Li |first2=Yong |last3=Wu |first3=Yuyu |last4=Lai |first4=Qiang |last5=Xie |first5=Bing |last6=Zhang |first6=Aobo |last7=Chen |first7=Shijia |last8=Xiang |first8=Zhongqiang |title=Influence of ultra-deep solid bitumen on carbonate reservoir properties and gas saturation correction |journal=Fuel |date=September 2026 |volume=420 |article-number=138900 |issn=0016-2361 |doi=10.1016/j.fuel.2026.138900|doi-access=free }}</ref> * '''Second Member''': The algal dolomite notably increases in this member, which is grayish-white in colour. There are also layers of clotted dolomite and algal mat-stromatolite dolostone.<ref name="Luo2026"/> * '''Third Member''': The algal dolomite decreases in this member, which is primarily composed of argillaceous dolomite, inter-bedded with mudstones and shales.<ref name="Luo2026"/> * '''Fourth Member''': The algal dolomite becomes a light gray to grayish-white algal dolostone, which is laminated in nature, alongside clotted dolomite and micritic dolostone, with siliceous nodules found throughout the member.<ref name="Luo2026"/>

=== Jiangxi Province Outcrop === The Dengying Formation can also be found outcropping in the northern areas of the Jiangxi Province as a light-gray, thick-bedded stromatolite dolostone, and is underlain by the upper phosphorite and dolomicrosparite dominant layers of the Doushantuo Formation, whilst it is overlain by the black shales of the Cambrian aged Hetang Formation. Due to the limited exposed outcrops in Jiangxi, proper sequencing of the local stratigraphy has not been fully studied.<ref name="ZhouXiao2006"/>

== Dating == The Dengying Formation goes right up to the boundary of the Ediacaran and Cambrian periods, currently dated to {{val|538.8|0.6|ul=Ma}},{{ref icc|2024/12}} whilst the age of the base of the formation varies depending on the province. The middle Gaojiashan Member from the Shaanxi Province has had U-Pb dating done on several detrital zircon crystals, which recovered a maximum deposition date of {{val|548|8|ul=ma}}.<ref name="Cui2016">{{cite journal |last1=Cui |first1=H. |last2=Kaufman |first2=A. J. |last3=Xiao |first3=S. |last4=Peek |first4=S. |last5=Cao |first5=H. |last6=Min |first6=X. |last7=Cai |first7=Y. |last8=Siegel |first8=Z. |last9=Liu |first9=X.‐M. |last10=Peng |first10=Y. |last11=Schiffbauer |first11=J. D. |last12=Martin |first12=A. J. |title=Environmental context for the terminal Ediacaran biomineralization of animals |journal=Geobiology |date=July 2016 |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=344–363 |doi=10.1111/gbi.12178}}</ref> Meanwhile, the middle of the Third Member has been dated to {{val|547.3|4.8|ul=ma}}.<ref name="Gu2023">{{cite journal |last1=Gu |first1=Zhidong |last2=Jian |first2=Xing |last3=Liu |first3=Guixia |title=A new age, provenance and tectono-sedimentary setting of the middle Dengying Formation of the terminal Ediacaran in the western Yangtze Block, South China |journal=Marine and Petroleum Geology |date=November 2023 |volume=157 |article-number=106509 |doi=10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2023.106509}}</ref> The base of the Dengying Formation in the Yangtze Gorges Hubei Province has been firmly dated to {{val|551.1|0.7|ul=ma}}.<ref name="Condon2005"/>

== Taphonomy == The Dengying Formation is home to at least three different styles of preservation, which includes the classic Ediacaran-type preservation seen in the Shibantan Biota where only a negative or positive print "death mask" of the organism is made, Pyritization as seen in the Gaojiashan Biota where any organic parts of the organisms are replaced with pyrite, and the rare Burgess Shale-type preservation seen in the Tongshan and Jiangchuan Biotas, where the bodies are preserved as carbonaceous films, including some examples of Phosphatization throughout the Jiangchuan Biota and Beiwan microfossil assemblage.<ref name="Hou2025">{{cite journal |last1=Hou |first1=Jin-bo |last2=Wang |first2=Xiang-dong |last3=Hou |first3=Zhang-shuai |last4=Ramezani |first4=Jahandar |last5=Tang |first5=Qing |last6=Shen |first6=Shu-zhong |title=The terminal Ediacaran Tongshan Lagerstätte from South China |journal=Nature Communications |date=19 November 2025 |volume=16 |issue=1 |doi=10.1038/s41467-025-65176-2|doi-access=free |pmc=12630636 }}</ref><ref name="Li2026"/><ref name="Chen2026"/>

It has been noted that the Burgess Shale-type preservation may be rare due to a taphonomic bias of requiring exceptional conditions such as low oxygen, clay sediemnts and authigenic mineralisation of soft tissue to long-living minerals,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Ross P. |last2=Woltz |first2=Christina R. |last3=Tosca |first3=Nicholas J. |last4=Porter |first4=Susannah M. |last5=Briggs |first5=Derek E.G. |title=Fossilisation processes and our reading of animal antiquity |journal=Trends in Ecology & Evolution |date=November 2023 |volume=38 |issue=11 |pages=1060–1071 |doi=10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.014|doi-access=free }}</ref> as such making it difficult to find and Cambrian-like biotas in the Ediacaran.<ref name="Li2026"/>

== Paleobiota == The Dengying Formation is unique from most other Ediacaran formations, in that the top of the formation goes right up to the Ediacaran - Cambrian boundary, resulting in not only a wide array of Ediacaran organisms such as ''Paracharnia'' and ''Dickinsonia'',<ref name="Weiguo1986">{{cite journal |last1=Weiguo |first1=S |title=Late precambrian pennatulids (sea pens) from the eastern Yangtze Gorge, China: Paracharnia gen. nov. |journal=Precambrian Research |date=June 1986 |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=361–375 |doi=10.1016/0301-9268(86)90040-9}}</ref><ref name="Wang2021">{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xiao-Peng |last2=Chen |first2=Zhe |last3=Pang |first3=Ke |last4=Zhou |first4=Chuan-Ming |last5=Xiao |first5=Shuhai |last6=Wan |first6=Bin |last7=Yuan |first7=Xun-Lai |title=Dickinsonia from the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area, South China |journal=Palaeoworld |date=December 2021 |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=602–609 |doi=10.1016/j.palwor.2021.01.002|doi-access=free }}</ref> but also rare examples of Cambrian-like organisms, such as ''Alienum''.<ref name="Li2026"/> Alongside this there is also a notable number of ichnogenera in the form of burrows, which also become more common closer to the boundary.<ref name="Meyer2014">{{cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=Mike |last2=Xiao |first2=Shuhai |last3=Gill |first3=Benjamin C. |last4=Schiffbauer |first4=James D. |last5=Chen |first5=Zhe |last6=Zhou |first6=Chuanming |last7=Yuan |first7=Xunlai |title=Interactions between Ediacaran animals and microbial mats: Insights from Lamonte trevallis, a new trace fossil from the Dengying Formation of South China |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |date=February 2014 |volume=396 |pages=62–74 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.12.026|bibcode=2014PPP...396...62M }}</ref> The formation is also well known for its abundant algal organisms, from ''Longfengshania'' to the enigmatic ''Vendotaenia''.<ref name="Li2026"/>

Recent studies have also found rare examples of Burgess Shale-type Preservation, in what is known as the Tongshan Lagerstätte and the Jiangchuan Biota from the Jiucheng Member. These preserves a wide range of fossil forms, from the first rangeomorph fronds with Burgess Shale-type preservation in the Tongshan,<ref name="Hou2025"/> to the first reports of more recognizable Cambrian-like organisms, bolstering evidence that bilaterian animals where diversifying around this time, back up by the increase in the well known various burrows, movement traces, etc.<ref name="Li2026"/>

The discovery of White Sea assemblage fossils such as ''Dickinsonia'', and more recently ''Kimberella'', in the lower Shibantan Member provide evidence that the fauna of the White Sea assemblage survivied into the Nama assemblage, and permit researchers to see how the White Sea-Nama extinction affected White Sea organisms. This also brings into question the validity and definitions of the three assemblages, with calls to provide further clarity on said assemblages.<ref name="Wu2026">{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Chengxi |last2=Pang |first2=Ke |last3=Wang |first3=Xiaopeng |last4=Liu |first4=Yarong |last5=Boan |first5=Phillip C. |last6=Zhou |first6=Chuanming |last7=Chen |first7=Zhe |last8=Xiao |first8=Shuhai |last9=Yuan |first9=Xunlai |title=Kimberella from the terminal Ediacaran Shibantan limestone, South China: The persistence of bilaterians during the White Sea-Nama transition |journal=Precambrian Research |date=September 2026 |volume=443 |article-number=108164 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2026.108164}}</ref>'

{{Paleobiota-key-compact}}

=== Proarticulata ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Proarticulata |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |''Dickinsonia<ref name="Wang2021"/>'' | *''Dickinsonia'' sp. |Shibantan Member |Oval to elongated motile organism. Only one incomplete specimen is known. |center|150px |- |}

=== Petalonamae ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Petalonamae |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |''Charnia<ref name="Li2026"/>'' | * ''Charnia'' sp. |Shibantan Member |Frondose Organism. |center|100px |- |''Charniodiscus<ref name="Chen">{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Zhe |last2=Zhou |first2=Chuanming |last3=Xiao |first3=Shuhai |last4=Wang |first4=Wei |last5=Guan |first5=Chengguo |last6=Hua |first6=Hong |last7=Yuan |first7=Xunlai |title=New Ediacara fossils preserved in marine limestone and their ecological implications |journal=Scientific Reports |date=25 February 2014 |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=4180 |doi=10.1038/srep04180|bibcode=2014NatSR...4.4180C |hdl=10919/74309 |hdl-access=free |pmc=3933909 }}</ref>'' | *''Charniodiscus'' sp. |Shibantan Member |Frondose organism. |center|100px |- |''Paracharnia<ref name="Weiguo1986"/>'' | *''P. denyingensis'' |Shibantan Member |Frondose organism. | |- |''Pteridinium<ref name="Chen"/>'' | *''Pteridinium'' sp. |Shibantan Member |Frondose organism. |center|100px |- |''Rangea<ref name="Chen"/><ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''Rangea'' sp. |Shibantan Member |Frondose organism. |center|100px |- |}

=== Trilobozoa ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Trilobozoa |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |''Lobodiscus<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Mingsheng |last2=Mussini |first2=Giovanni |last3=Li |first3=Yulan |last4=Tang |first4=Feng |last5=Vickers-Rich |first5=Patricia |last6=Li |first6=Ming |last7=Chen |first7=Ailin |title=A putative triradial macrofossil from the Ediacaran Jiangchuan Biota |journal=iScience |date=February 2024 |volume=27 |issue=2 |article-number=108823 |doi=10.1016/j.isci.2024.108823|pmid=38303714 |bibcode=2024iSci...27j8823Z |pmc=10831930 }}</ref>'' | *''L. tribrachialis'' |Middle Jiucheng Member (Qingshuigou section) |Tri-radial organism. | |- |}

=== Porifera ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Porifera |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |''Helicolocellus<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xiaopeng |last2=Liu |first2=Alexander G. |last3=Chen |first3=Zhe |last4=Wu |first4=Chengxi |last5=Liu |first5=Yarong |last6=Wan |first6=Bin |last7=Pang |first7=Ke |last8=Zhou |first8=Chuanming |last9=Yuan |first9=Xunlai |last10=Xiao |first10=Shuhai |title=A late-Ediacaran crown-group sponge animal |journal=Nature |date=27 June 2024 |volume=630 |issue=8018 |pages=905–911 |doi=10.1038/s41586-024-07520-y}}</ref>'' | *''H. cantori'' |Shibantan Member |Conical sponge, possible relations to hexactinelliid sponges. |center|100px |- |}

=== ''incertae sedis'' ===

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |incertae sedis |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |''Anabarites<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''A. yuanbaoshanensis'' |Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan and Lijiagou sections) |Tubular organism. | |- |''Alienum<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Junping |last2=Chen |first2=Ailin |last3=Li |first3=Binglin |last4=Tang |first4=Feng |last5=Zhao |first5=Jiangtai |last6=Chen |first6=Ke |title=Problematic Ediacaran sail-shaped fossils from eastern Yunnan, China |journal=Historical Biology |date=6 October 2024 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2024.2403588}}</ref>'' | *''A. velamenus'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |Vetulicolian-like organism. |center|100px |- |''Cloudina<ref name="Dai">{{cite journal |last1=Dai |first1=Qiaokun |last2=Hua |first2=Hong |last3=Luo |first3=Jinzhou |last4=Min |first4=Xiao |last5=Liu |first5=Ziwei |last6=Zhang |first6=Song |last7=Gong |first7=Meng |last8=Bai |first8=Lin |title=A new silicified microfossil assemblage from the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in South Shaanxi, China |journal=Precambrian Research |date=April 2024 |volume=403 |article-number=107308 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107308|bibcode=2024PreR..40307308D }}</ref><ref name="Li2026"/><ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | *''Cloudina'' sp. *''C. hartmannae'' *''C. ningqiangensis'' *''C. xuanjiangpingensis'' *''C. sinensis'' *''<small>C. (?)</small> petala'' |Gaojiashan, Shibantan and Beiwan Members (Yuanbaoshan and Lijiagou sections) |Tubular organism. |center|300px |- |''Curviacus<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shen |first1=Bing |last2=Xiao |first2=Shuhai |last3=Zhou |first3=Chuanming |last4=Dong |first4=Lin |last5=Chang |first5=Jieqiong |last6=Chen |first6=Zhe |title=A new modular palaeopascichnid fossil Curviacus ediacaranus new genus and species from the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China |journal=Geological Magazine |date=November 2017 |volume=154 |issue=6 |pages=1257–1268 |doi=10.1017/S001675681700036X|bibcode=2017GeoM..154.1257S }}</ref><ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''C. ediacaranus'' |Shibantan Member |Palaeopascichnid organism. | |- |''Conotubus<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cai |first1=Yaoping |last2=Schiffbauer |first2=James D. |last3=Hua |first3=Hong |last4=Xiao |first4=Shuhai |title=Morphology and paleoecology of the late Ediacaran tubular fossil Conotubus hemiannulatus from the Gaojiashan Lagerstätte of southern Shaanxi Province, South China |journal=Precambrian Research |date=November 2011 |volume=191 |issue=1–2 |pages=46–57 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2011.09.002|bibcode=2011PreR..191...46C }}</ref><ref name="Li2026"/><ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | *''C. hemiannulatus'' *''C. bibendi'' |Gaojiashan Member and Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan section) |Tubular organism. | |- |''Cycliomedusa<ref name="Zhao">{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Mingsheng |last2=Zhang |first2=Yupeng |last3=Tang |first3=Feng |last4=Li |first4=Yulan |last5=Li |first5=Ming |last6=Zhong |first6=Ling |last7=Ren |first7=Liudong |title=Enigmatic discoidal macrofossils with central ring from the Ediacaran Jiangchuan biota, Southwest China |journal=Papers in Palaeontology |date=March 2025 |volume=11 |issue=2 |doi=10.1002/spp2.70005|bibcode=2025PPal...11E0005Z }}</ref>'' | *''C. jiangchuanensis'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |Discoid organism. |center|100px

|- |''Dictyotubulus<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''D. circularis'' |Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan section) |Non-biomineralised tubular organism. | |- |''Eoandromeda<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''E. octobrachiata'' |Tongshan Lagerstätte |Discoid organism. |center|100px |- |''Gaojiashania<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cai |first1=Yaoping |last2=Hua |first2=Hong |last3=Zhang |first3=Xingliang |title=Tube construction and life mode of the late Ediacaran tubular fossil Gaojiashania cyclus from the Gaojiashan Lagerstätte |journal=Precambrian Research |date=January 2013 |volume=224 |pages=255–267 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2012.09.022|bibcode=2013PreR..224..255C }}</ref>'' | *''G. cyclus'' |Gaojiashan Member |Tubular organism. | |- |''Hiemalora<ref name="Chen"/>'' | *''Hiemalora'' sp. |Shibantan Member |Discoid organism, possibly holdfasts of petalonamids. |center|100px |- |''Multiconotubus<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''M. chinensis'' |Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan and Lijiagou sections) |Tubular organism. | |- |''Kimberella<ref name="Wu2026"/>'' | *''Kimberella'' sp. |Egg-shaped organism, possible mollusc. The youngest record of ''Kimberella'', and the first record of ''Kimberella'' in carbonate rocks. |center|100px |- |''Palaeorhopalon<ref name="Dai"/>'' | *''P. spiniferum'' |Beiwan Member (Tudimiao, Yuanbaoshan, and Lijiagou sections) |Tubular organism. | |- |''Palaeopascichnus<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''P. linearis'' |Tongshan Lagerstätte |Palaeopascichnid organism. |center|100px |- |''Protoconites<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''P. minor'' |Tongshan Lagerstätte |Curved conical organism, possible relations to Cnidaria. |center|100px |- |''Shufangtubulus<ref name="Dai"/>'' | *''S. inornatus'' |Beiwan Member (Tudimiao section) |Tubular organism. | |- |''Shaanxilithes<ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''Shaanxilithes'' sp. |Jiucheng and Shibantan Members |Tubular organism. Previously reported as a junior synonym of ''Nenoxites'' and ''Gaojiashania'', although recent studies regard it as a body fossil of a distinct genus.<ref name="Li2026"/> |center|100px |- |''Sinotubulites<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cai |first1=Yaoping |last2=Xiao |first2=Shuhai |last3=Hua |first3=Hong |last4=Yuan |first4=Xunlai |title=New material of the biomineralizing tubular fossil Sinotubulites from the late Ediacaran Dengying Formation, South China |journal=Precambrian Research |date=May 2015 |volume=261 |pages=12–24 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2015.02.002|bibcode=2015PreR..261...12C }}</ref><ref name="Dai"/><ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | *''Sinotubulites'' sp. *''S. baimatuoensis'' *''S. hexagonus'' *''S. pentacarinalis'' *''S. triangularis'' |Beiwan Member (Tudimiao, Yuanbaoshan, and Lijiagou sections), Shibantan and Gaojiashan Members |Tubular organism. | |- |''Wutubus<ref name="Chen"/>'' | *''W. annularis'' |Shibantan Member |Tubular organism. | |- |''Yangtziramulus<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shen |first1=Bing |last2=Xiao |first2=Shuhai |last3=Zhou |first3=Chuanming |last4=Yuan |first4=Xunlai |title=Yangtziramulus zhangi new genus and species, a carbonate-hosted macrofossil from the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area, South China |journal=Journal of Paleontology |date=July 2009 |volume=83 |issue=4 |pages=575–587 |doi=10.1666/08-042R1.1|bibcode=2009JPal...83..575S }}</ref>'' | *''Y. zhangi'' |Shibantan Member |Enigmatic organism, affinities with other forms is unknown, although possibly related to the Petalonamae, like ''Charnia''. | |- |''Yilingia<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Zhe |last2=Zhou |first2=Chuanming |last3=Yuan |first3=Xunlai |last4=Xiao |first4=Shuhai |title=Death march of a segmented and trilobate bilaterian elucidates early animal evolution |journal=Nature |date=19 September 2019 |volume=573 |issue=7774 |pages=412–415 |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1522-7|pmid=31485079 |bibcode=2019Natur.573..412C }}</ref>'' | *''Y. spiciformis'' |Shibantan Member |Bilterian animal of unknown affinities, with possible relations to Panarthopoda or Annelida. | |- |}

=== Flora ===

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Flora |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Longfengshania<ref name="Zhao"/><ref name="Li2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''L. spheria'' *''L. elongata'' *''L. fusiformis'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Middle Jiucheng Member |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Thallus-like macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Protocodium<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chai |first1=Shu |last2=Aria |first2=Cédric |last3=Hua |first3=Hong |title=A stem group Codium alga from the latest Ediacaran of South China provides taxonomic insight into the early diversification of the plant kingdom |journal=BMC Biology |date=21 September 2022 |volume=20 |issue=1 |page=199 |doi=10.1186/s12915-022-01394-0|doi-access=free |pmid=36127662 |pmc=9491005 }}</ref>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''P. sinense'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Gaojiashan Member |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Codiacean alga. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Baculiphyca<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''B. taeniata'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Thallus-like macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Zhongbaodaophyton<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Z. robustus'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Branching macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Doushantuophyton<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''D. lineare'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Branching macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Chuaria<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''C. circularis'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Gaojiashan and Middle Jiucheng Members, and Tongan Lagerstätte |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Enigmatic fossil, possibly synonymous with Tawuia. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Longifuniculum<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''L. dissolutum'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Whip-like macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Tawuia<ref name="Li2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''T. danlensis'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Middle Jiucheng Member |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sausage-shaped macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Houjiashania<ref name="Li2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''H. yuxiensi'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Middle Jiucheng Member |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sausage-shaped macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Vendotaenia<ref name="Li2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''V. antiqua'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Gaojiashan, Shibantan, and Middle Jiucheng Members |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Ribbon-like macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Laminarites<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Laminarites'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Ribbon-like macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Flabellophyton<ref name="Li2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Flabellophyton'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Shibantan Member |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Filamentous macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|100px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Phacelofimbria<ref name="Pu1991"/><ref name="Song2018">{{cite journal |last1=Song |first1=Jinmin |last2=Liu |first2=Shugen |last3=Qing |first3=Hairuo |last4=Jansa |first4=Luba |last5=Li |first5=Zhiwu |last6=Luo |first6=Ping |last7=Yang |first7=Di |last8=Sun |first8=Wei |last9=Peng |first9=Hanlin |last10=Lin |first10=Tong |title=The depositional evolution, reservoir characteristics, and controlling factors of microbial carbonates of Dengying Formation in upper Neoprotozoic, Sichuan Basin, Southwest China |journal=Energy Exploration & Exploitation |date=July 2018 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=591–619 |doi=10.1177/0144598717743995|doi-access=free }}</ref>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''P. emeishanensis'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tube-like macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Manicosiphonia<ref name="Pu1991"/><ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''M. quadricellus'' *''M. fissilis'' *''M. conserta'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cone-shaped macroalgae. Possibly mistakenly referred to as ''Siphonia'' in Song et al., 2018, which is the genus name of the Cretaceous sponge ''Siphonia''. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Actinophycus<ref name="Pu1991"/><ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''A. nanjiangensis'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Branching macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Acus<ref name="Pu1991"/><ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''A. muricatus'' *''A. concentricus'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Dense, thorn-like macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Balios<ref name="Pu1991"/><ref name="Song2018"/>''' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''B. pinguensis'' *''B. comfertus'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Unbranching macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Praesolenopora<ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Praesolenopora'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tube-like macroalgae, was considered a pseudofossil by Martin Glaessner, 1980,<ref name="Glaessner1980">{{cite journal |last1=Glaessner |first1=M. F. |title=Pseudofossils from the Precambrian, including 'Buschmannia' and 'Praesolenopora' |journal=Geological Magazine |date=March 1980 |volume=117 |issue=2 |pages=199–200 |doi=10.1017/S001675680003329X}}</ref> although this has not since been pursude. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Paleomicrocystis<ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Paleomicrocystis'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Globular macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Parasolenopora<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''P. subradiata'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Gleorrh<ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Gleorrh'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Epiphiton<ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *<small>''Epiphiton (?)''</small> sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Clotted macroalgae, is noted to resemble ''Epiphiton''. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Renaclis-like organism<ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *<small>''Renaclis (?)''</small> sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Macroalgae, is noted to resemble ''Renaclis''. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Girvanella<ref name="Li2026"/><ref name="Song2018"/>''' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Girvanella'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Gaojiashan Member |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Beltanelliformis<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''B. brunsae'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|250px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Gesinella<ref name="Li2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Gesinella'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Osagia<ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''O. oncolite'' *''O. stratifera'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Baicalia<ref name="Song2018"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''B. stromatolite'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Cambricodium<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | * ''C. capilloides'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan and Lijiagou sections) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Subtifloria<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | * ''S. delicata'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Beiwan Member (Lijiagou section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Obruchevella<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | * ''O. parva'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Beiwan Member (Lijiagou section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Cyanobacterial colony. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Tasmanites<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''Tasmanites'' sp. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Sichuan Province |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Unicellular algae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|150px |- |}

=== Microorganisms ===

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Microorganisms |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |''Protolagena<ref name="Chai">{{cite journal |last1=Chai |first1=Shu |last2=Hua |first2=Hong |last3=Ren |first3=Jinjie |last4=Dai |first4=Qiaokun |last5=Cui |first5=Zaihang |title=Vase-shaped microfossils from the late Ediacaran Dengying Formation of Ningqiang, South China: taxonomy, preservation and biological affinity |journal=Precambrian Research |date=January 2021 |volume=352 |article-number=105968 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105968|bibcode=2021PreR..35205968C }}</ref><ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | *''P. limbata'' *''P. gaojiashanensis'' *''P. papillatus'' |Lower Shibantan (Gaojiashan and Lijiagou sections) and Beiwan Members (Lijiagou section) |Vase-like microorganism. | |- |''Sicylagena<ref name="Chai"/>'' | *''S. formosa'' *''S. latistoma'' |Lower Shibantan Member (Gaojiashan and Lijiagou sections) |Vase-like microorganism. | |- |''Dictyosphaera<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Dictyosphaera'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Unicelluar microorganism. | |- |''Protoleiosphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Protoleiosphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Leiosphaeridia<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Leiosphaeridia'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. Misspelled as "Leiosphaeridea" in Pu et al., 1991. | |- |''Microconcentrica<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Microconcentrica'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Polyedrosphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Polyedrosphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Leiominunscula<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Leiominunscula'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Trematosphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Trematosphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Orygmatosphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Orygmatosphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Granomarginata<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Granomarginata'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Lophosphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Lophosphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Trachysphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/><ref name="Song2018"/>'' | *''Trachysphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Tortofimria<ref name="Song2018"/>'' | *''Tortofimria'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Archaeohystrichosphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Archaeohystrichosphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Micrhystridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Micrhystridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Reticulatasporites<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Reticulatasporites'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Favososphaeridium<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Favososphaeridium'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Archaeodiscina<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Archaeodiscina'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Triangumorpha<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Triangumorpha'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Gloeocapsamorpha<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Gloeocapsamorpha'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Brocholaminaria<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Brocholaminaria'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Retinarites<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Retinarites'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Prototracheites<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Prototracheites'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |''Lignum<ref name="Pu1991"/>'' | *''Lignum'' sp. |Sichuan Province |Acritarch. | |- |}

=== Ichnogenera ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Ichnogenera |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|''Lamonte<ref name="Meyer2014"/>'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| *''L. trevallis'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|Middle Shibantan Member (South Quarry) |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|Burrows. |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| |- |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|''Helminthoidichnites'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| *''Helminthoidichnites isp.'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|Burrows. |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| |- |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|''Nenoxites'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| *''Nenoxites isp.'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|Movement traces. |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|center|100px |- |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|''Torrowangea'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| *''Torrowangea isp.'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| |style="background:#FEF6E4;"|Burrows. |style="background:#FEF6E4;"| |- |}

=== Undescribed ===

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="width:100%;" ! colspan="6" align="center" |Undescribed |- !Genus !Species !Locality !Notes !Images |- |''ESEN 0013<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''???'' |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |Tubular organism, possible affinities to Metazoa. |center|200px |- |''Undescribed rangeomorph "ESEN 0016"<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''???'' |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |Frondose organism, 3 distinct lobe-like regions, consisting of a thick stalk and two petaloids, which are made up of tightly packed branches. |center|200px |- |''Fan-shaped rangeomorphs<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''???'' |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |Two frondose organisms with a similar appearance to ''Bradgatia'', with one of the specimens, ESEN 0018, preserving with a possible holdfast. |center|200px |- |''Undescribed rangeomorph "ESEN 0019"<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''???'' |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |Frondose organism, with a similar appearance to ''Charniodiscus'', consisting of a thick stalk and two petaloids, which are made up of tightly packed branches, also preserves a notable holdfast. |center|200px |- |''Undescribed rangeomorph "ESEN 0020"<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''???'' |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |Elongated frondose organism, with a similar appearance to ''Paracharnia'', consisting of a thin stalk and two petaloids, which are made up of tightly packed branches, alongside a possible holdfast at its base. |center|200px |- |''Undescribed frond "ESEN 0021"<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' | *''???'' |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |Typical frondose organism, possibly with three petaloids in total, and a holdfast structure and probable stem are also present. |center|200px |- |''Undescribed tetraradial organism "YNGIP 90305"<ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member (Shanglijiao section) |Tetra-radial organism, noted to bear similarities to ''Tribrachidium'' and ''Lobodiscus'' in the shape of its lobes, whilst its tetra-radial body plan is similar to ''Conomedusites''. | |- |''Undescribed Haootia-like organisms<ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |Haootia-like organisms, which are cup-like in appearance with terminal arms, and is fibrous in nature. The largest specimen is {{cvt|15|mm|1}} in length and {{cvt|20|mm|1}} in width, making them smaller than ''Haootia'', and may represent a new genus alongside ''Haootia'' and ''Mamsetia''. | |- |''Undescribed ctenophore-like organism "YNGIP 90303" <ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |A singular fossil that bears similarities to known ctenophore fossils, getting up to {{cvt|18|mm|1}} in length and {{cvt|10|mm|1}} in width, and has been compared to ''Ctenorhabdotus''. | |- |''Undescribed Mackenzia-like organism "YNGIP 90304" <ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |A singular fossil that bears similarities to ''Mackenzia'', with the fossil being compared to known mackenziid fossil from the Chengjiang Biota, although it is noted they are much smaller, only attaining a length of {{cvt|18|mm|1}} in length and {{cvt|3|mm|1}} in width. | |- |''Undescribed worm-like organisms<ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |The most numerous bilaterian organism in the, consisting of a large holdfast disc and an elongated vermiform body with a terminal mouth, with the largest example getting up to {{cvt|61|mm|1}} in length and {{cvt|2.7|mm|1}} at the widest, whilst the holdfast is up to {{cvt|15|mm|1}} in diameter. It has been noted that the previously described ''Cycliomedusa'', also from this member, bears a striking resemblance to the holdfasts of these fossils, and may likely be said holdfasts preserved in another layer, with the body in another. | |- |''Undescribed sausage-shaped organism "YNGIP 90311"<ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |A single sausage shaped organism with a circular terminal opening inferred to be a mouth, and a long darker lined down the centre, interpreted as a gut. | |- |''Undescribed Herpetogaster-like organisms <ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |A number of fossils that bear similarities to ''Herpetogaster'', with a coiled body set on top of a stem, with tentacle-like structures on wider head-region, although are notably simpler than that seen on ''Herpetogaster''. | |- |''Undescribed Margaretia-like organisms<ref name="Li2026"/>'' | *''???'' |Middle Jiucheng Member |Elongated fossils with ovoid holes running along the full length of the body in rows, bearing similarities to ''Margaretia'', a tube-like organism used as a dwelling for hemichordate worms. The largest complete fossil reaches up to {{cvt|30|mm|1}} in length and {{cvt|4|mm|1}} in width. | |- |''Cloudinids<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''???'' |Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan section) |Undescribed tubular organisms. | |- |''Problematic spherical fossil<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''???'' |Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan section) |Undescribed spherical fossil of unknown placement. | |- |''Conical tube with round apex<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''???'' |Beiwan Member (Lijiagou section) |Tubular organisms of unknown placement. | |- |''Conical tube with transverse annulations<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''???'' |Beiwan Member (Lijiagou section) |Tubular organisms of unknown placement. | |- |''Conical tube with transverse ridges<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' | * ''???'' |Beiwan Member (Lijiagou section) |Tubular organisms of unknown placement. | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Zhenba columns<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Yuan |last2=Zhang |first2=Xingliang |title=A possible erect coralline alga from the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the Zhenba area of South China |journal=Journal of Paleontology |date=September 2022 |volume=96 |issue=5 |pages=1209–1222 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2022.33|bibcode=2022JPal...96.1209Z |doi-access=free }}</ref>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''???'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Possible affinities with coralline algae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Doushantuophyton-like form<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''???'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Doushantuophyton-like form, possibly macroalgae. Bears similarties to ''Doushantuophyton''. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|200px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Baseball bat-shaped form<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''???'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Baseball bat-shaped form, possibly macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|200px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Irregular circular form<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''???'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Curved, oblong-shaped form, possibly macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|200px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Net-like form<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''???'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Netted form, possibly macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|200px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Ribbon-like form<ref name="Hou2025"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | *''???'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Ribbon like form, possibly macroalgae. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |center|200px |- |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |''Archaeooides-like fossil<ref name="Chen2026"/>'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | * ''???'' |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Beiwan Member (Yuanbaoshan section) |style="background:#D1FFCF;" |Undescribed fossil that bears simiarities to the microalgae ''Archaeooides''. |style="background:#D1FFCF;" | |- |style="background:#FEF6E4;" |Bilateria indet. |style="background:#FEF6E4;" | *Unapplicable |style="background:#FEF6E4;" |Tongan Lagerstätte (Wanjia section) |style="background:#FEF6E4;" |Known to have several pairs of appendages, but its exact affinity is unknown<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Zhe |last2=Chen |first2=Xiang |last3=Zhou |first3=Chuanming |last4=Yuan |first4=Xunlai |last5=Xiao |first5=Shuhai |title=Late Ediacaran trackways produced by bilaterian animals with paired appendages |journal=Science Advances |date=June 2018 |volume=4 |issue=6 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aao6691|hdl=10919/84444 |hdl-access=free |pmc=5990303 }}</ref> |style="background:#FEF6E4;" | |- |style="background:#FEF6E4;" |''Palaeophycus-like trace<ref name="Li2026"/>'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;" | *''???'' |style="background:#FEF6E4;" |Middle Jiucheng Member |style="background:#FEF6E4;" |Sinous burrows, which bear similarities to ''Palaeophycus''. |style="background:#FEF6E4;" | |- |}

==See also== * Ediacaran biota

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Geologic formations of China Category:Phosphorite formations Category:Cambrian northern paleotemperate deposits Category:Paleontology in China