Cheungkongella
| Cheungkongella Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3, | |
|---|---|
| Restoration of C. ancestralis. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata |
| Class: | Ascidiacea |
| Genus: | †Cheungkongella Shu et al., 2001 |
| Type species | |
| †Cheungkongella ancestralis Shu et al., 2001 | |
| Species | |
| |
Cheungkongella is a fossil organism from the lower Cambrian Chengjiang lagerstatte, the affinity of which has been the subject of debate. It was announced as a "probable" tunicate while noting the lack of definitive Cambrian fossils from that group. However, this affinity was later disputed in a paper announcing the discovery of Shankouclava, also from Chengjiang, as the oldest known tunicate. Cheungkongella has been accepted as a distinct taxon and possible tunicate by multiple workers not involved in its discovery, but the dispute remains unresolved.