DISCOVERY OF KAILI BIOTA FROM THE ZHENYUAN AREA OF GUIZHOU

A rich Cambrian fossil assemblage characteristic of the Kaili Biota has been discovered in mudstones and silty mudstones of the Kaili Formation at the Fujiachong section-situated about 1.8 km south of Zhuping village near Yangping Town of Zhenyuan County,in the southeastern quarter of Guizhou Province.Only the middle and upper horizons of the Kaili Formation are exposed in this section,which belongs to the Oryctocephalus indicus Zone and the lower part of the Peronopsis taijiang-ensis Zone.The fossil assemblage comprises a total of 22 species in 21 genera of sponges,coelentera-tes,arthropods,brachiopods,mollusks,echinoderms,priapulids and medusiform animals.Sinoeocrinus lui,Globoeocrinus globules and Pararotadiscus guizhouensis are important notable components of the Biota in the Zhenyuan area.This discovery at Zhuping expands knowledge of the geographical distribution of the Kaili Biota and provides new information for understanding its composition and sedimentary environment.