Arborea elegans : a novel arboreomorph species from the late Ediacaran of Newfoundland

Abstract Arborea elegans sp. nov., a new species of the clade Arboreomorpha, is described and figured based on three specimens preserved in mudstone from the Ediacaran Mistaken Point Formation at Halfway Cove, near the town of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, Newfoundland, Canada. Arborea elegans is readily attributed to the clade Arboreomorpha because of its parallel primary branches diverging orthogonally from the central stalk, and merging at their apices to form a distinct marginal rim. It is assigned to the genus Arborea because of its distally tapered petalodium, rectangular first-order branches arising orthogonally from a prominent stalk, and first-order axes exposed over the entire length of the branches. It is distinguishable from other species of the genus by its slender petalodium, reduced stem, relatively broad first-order branches, and proportionally wide basal disc.