Wutubus

Wutubus annularis is a tubular Ediacaran fossil from China. It is the only species in the genus Wutubus. The genus name was derived from the fossil locality near the village of Wuhe (Wu River) and from Latin tubus (tube), and the species epithet derived from Latin, annularis, with reference to the transverse annulae on the tube.

The first described specimens of Wutubus annularis were found in the Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China, which dates to 551-541 Mya during the late Ediacaran. Specimens have since been reported in the late Ediacaran Deep Spring Formation at Mount Dunfee, Navada (USA).

Wutubus annularis is an annulated (ringed) tubular organism 20-180 mm in length and 3-32 mm in width. It is mostly cylindrical, with a conical end that tapers to an apex. It has been reconstructed as a benthic tubular organism living on the sediment surface, tethered to the substrate by its apex.