Haootia quadriformis from Newfoundland, Canada, is one of the most unusual impressions of a soft-bodied macro-organism yet described from the late Ediacaran Period. Interpreted as a metazoan of cnidarian grade, the body impression of H. quadriformis possesses features interpreted as fibrous structures that represent possible evidence for muscular tissue. Evidence both in support of and against a relationship between H. quadriformis and the Staurozoa, one of the cnidarian groups to which Haootia was compared in Liu et al., is outlined by Miranda et al.. Our intention in our original paper was to illustrate the staurozoan body plan for comparative purposes, rather than suggest homology or direct ancestry. Nevertheless, fresh insights from workers with expertise in the biology of extant cnidarians are welcomed.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under low lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
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Image of the Haootia quadriformis holotype specimen, taken under controlled lighting conditions at The Rooms Provincial Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland, by Duncan McIlroy.
