Polybessurus, as a common element of the late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic microfossil assemblages, has yet no confirmed record from post-Cryogenian strata. In this study, we report Polybessurus sp. from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation chert nodules in western Hubei Province, South China. Polybessurus specimens from the Doushantuo Formation are identical to their pre-Cryogenian counterparts in morphology (stacked concave lamellae), composition (organic matter), and preservational mode (silicification). The Doushantuo specimens generally have large tubes (average diameter ~157 μm, maximum diameter ~450 μm), and are often preserved separately and parallel to the bedding plane, whereas the pre-Cryogenian specimens have relatively small tubes (mostly thinner than 100 μm in diameter), and are often preserved gregariously and perpendicular to the bedding plane. Polybessurus may be formed by a variety of benthic micro-organisms, mainly cyanobacteria, e.g., stalk forming taxa like Cyanostylon and endolithic taxa like Solentia, that are capable of secreting EPS (extracellular polymeric substance) unidirectionally to push itself forward in the sediment. The producers of Polybessurus may have played a role in the benthic microbial community by making microburrows, affecting textures and microenvironments of inshore sediments. As the first unambiguous record of Polybessurus from Ediacaran strata, our new findings extend its distribution from the late Mesoproterozoic–early Neoproterozoic to the late Neoproterozoic.

Polybessurus是晚中元古代至新元古代早期微化石组合的常见元素，目前还没有来自后低温地层的确认记录。在这项研究中，我们报告了 Polybessurus sp。来自华南湖北省西部埃迪卡拉系陡山沱组燧石结核。多头牛陡山沱组的标本在形态（堆积的凹片层）、成分（有机质）和保存方式（硅化）方面与低温纪前的标本相同。陡山沱标本一般有较大的管子（平均直径~157 μm，最大直径~450 μm），通常单独保存并平行于层理面，而前低温时期的标本有相对较小的管子（大多小于100 μm）。直径），并且通常成群地保存并垂直于床上用品平面。Polybessurus可由多种底栖微生物形成，主要是蓝细菌，例如形成茎的类群如Cyanostylon和内石类群如Solentia，能够单向分泌EPS（细胞外聚合物）以在沉积物中向前推进。Polybessurus的生产者可能通过制造微型洞穴，影响近岸沉积物的质地和微环境，在底栖微生物群落中发挥了作用。作为埃迪卡拉纪地层中Polybessurus的第一个明确记录，我们的新发现将其分布从中元古代晚期-新元古代早期扩展到了新元古代晚期。