The Early Cambrian Balang Fauna From Eastern Guizhou, China

The Lower Cambrian Balang Fauna from the upper part of Balang Formation of both Kaili City and Jiangku, Zhenyuan consists of six phyla, includes trilobites, bradoriida and large bivalved arthropods of arthropods, coelenterates, brachiopods, mollusks, eocrinoids and algae, a large variety of ichnofossils. Eocrinoids-Guizhoueocrinus gen. nov. and trilobites-Redlichia (Pteroredlichia) are the most common taxa, and compose the diagnostic members of Balang Fauna. Here, firstly systematic study on Balang Fauna, total 20 genera, 25 species are discribed, including lnew genus, 8 new species, 6 undescribed species, 3 conformis species and 1 genus and species indeterminate. New genus and species names following: eocrinoids- Guizhoueocrinus yui gen.et sp. , G. bifomis gen. et sp.nov.,; Hyolithid- Ambrolinevitus magna sp. nov., Allatheca striolatus sp. nov.; arthropods- Tuzoia kailiensis sp. nov., Alutella kailiensis sp.nov., Yaoyingella repsis sp. nov., Leshanella guizhouensis sp. nov.. New genus Guizhoueocrinus of which is firstly discovered in the Lowe Cambrian stratum from China , and worm, bradoriida, large bivalved arthropods from Balang Formation also are initially reported. Occurrence of new genus and species changes the original character of the Balang Formation bio-assemblage. The new fauna also is a Buregess Shale-type Fauna and its age lies in between the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota and The Middle Cambrian Kaili Biota, belonging to the Early Cambrian late Chanlangpuian equivalent to the position of the Botomian, Siberia, which is as same as Guanshan Biota from eastern Yunnan. So, the Balang Fauna becomes a key line of metazoan evolution between the Early Cambrian and the Middle Cambrian .