Wahpia insolens

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An small alga with slender branches

Wahpia insolens (USNM 35424) – Syntype. Specimen showing typical mode of branching. Specimen length = 90 mm. Specimen wet – direct light (left), polarized light (right). Trilobite Beds on Mount Stephen.

Wahpia mimica (USNM 35413) – Holotype. Specimen showing narrow and rigid branches. Specimen length (longest branch) = 18 mm. Specimen dry – polarized light (left), wet – polarized light (right). Walcott Quarry.

Wahpia insolens (USNM 35423) – Syntype. Specimen showing typical mode of branching. Specimen length = 68 mm. Specimen wet – direct light (left), wet – polarized light (right). Trilobite Beds on Mount Stephen.

Wahpia virgata (USNM 35425) – Holotype. Specimen showing thick stem and relatively flexible branches typical of the species. Specimen length (longest branch) = 27 mm. Specimen dry – polarized light (left), wet – polarized and direct light (middle and right). Walcott Quarry.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Rhodophyta

Higher Taxonomic assignment: Non applicable

Species name: Wahpia insolens

Remarks:

No revisions of this alga have been published since its original description by Walcott (1919) and its affinities remain uncertain.

Described by: Walcott

Description date: 1919

Etymology:

Wahpia – unspecified.

insolens – from the Latin insolens, “unusual, different.” This probably refers to the unusual branches of this alga.

Type Specimens: Syntypes –USNM35423-35424 (W. insolens); Holotypes –USNM35413 (W. mimica);USNM35425 (W. virgata) in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.

Other species:

Burgess Shale and vicinity: W. mimica Walcott, 1919 and W. virgata Walcott, 1919 from the Walcott Quarry.

Other deposits: none.

Age & Localities:

Age:

Middle Cambrian, Bathyuriscus-Elrathina Zone (approximately 505 million years ago).

Principal localities:

The Walcott Quarry on Fossil Ridge. The Trilobite Beds on Mount Stephen.

History of Research:

Brief history of research:

Wahpia was described by Charles Walcott (1919) as a possible red alga. However, like all the algae from the Burgess Shale, it awaits a modern redescription.

Description:

Morphology:

This simple alga has a long central stem with long narrow branches diverging from it at a 45 degree angle; these branches give rise to smaller branches with up to two additional branchings. The central stem is hollow. W. mimica and W. virgata differ from W. insolens based on size differences of the central stem and the number and flexibility of the branches.

Abundance:

Wahpia is very rare and represents only 0.06% of the Walcott Quarry community (Caron and Jackson, 2008).

Maximum Size:

90 mm

Ecology:

Life habits: Epibenthic, Sessile

Feeding strategies: Primary producer

Ecological Interpretations:

The morphology of this alga suggests it was attached to the sea floor rather than being free floating.

References:

CARON, J.-B. AND D. A. JACKSON. 2008. Paleoecology of the Greater Phyllopod Bed community, Burgess Shale. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 258: 222-256.

WALCOTT, C. 1919. Cambrian Geology and Paleontology IV. Middle Cambrian Algae. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 67(5): 217-260.