New Vendian Metazoa with Colonial Organization

A new organism, Olgunia bondarenkoae gen. et sp. nov., with a level of colonial organization similar to that of sponges or coelenterates, is described from the Vendian of the southeastern White Sea region. The new genus is characterized by a modular pattern and coordinated growth of neighboring individuals arranged in a fan-shape. The characters shown in the new genus were formerly considered diagnostic of the genera Vaveliksia Fedonkin and Funisia Droser et Gehling. All three genera are therefore here combined into a new family Olgunidae, with the type genus Olgunia gen. nov. Coloniality in the Precambrian is discussed.