bubbles, or fakes planted by God to lure those with little faith into error. They were the first Ediacaran (Vendian) fossils described by a scientist. For decades, Aspidella and its partner fossils were not considered to be Precambrian life forms. This lasted until the work of Reg Sprigg, who discovered the Ediacara Hills fossils. Fossils were found in many other parts of the world in rocks of about the same age and became accepted as genuine remains of life forms. Systematics and taxonomy Aspidella is derived from the Latin diminutive of Ancient Greek aspis (Ασπις, a round shield), and terranovica is Latin for "from the new land" (i.e. Newfoundland). Different morphological forms have been called Ediacaria or Spriggia. However, the differences between the small elliptical "typical" Aspidella, the flat, ringed Spriggia wadea and the large, pimpled, and rayed Ediacaria seem to be due to different taphonomic conditions. For example, Spriggia and Ediacaria appear to be remains of the same animals, only that the former was fossilized in more compact, fine-grained clay, whereas the latter is known from rocks that originally were predominantly sandy sediment. Numerous other taxa may also be junior synonyms of Aspidella: Beltanella Cyclomedusa Eoporpita Glaessneria Irridinitus Jampolium Madigania Medusinites Paliella Paramedusium Planomedusites Ediacaria Tateana Tirasiana Vendella Due to its nondescript nature, Aspidella might be considered a form taxon, an artificial assemblage of similar-looking and similar-living organisms without a phylogenetic relationship. In this case, some presumed synonyms (such as Ediacaria or Cyclomedusa) would remain valid. The type specimens were of the ellipsoid type (they are lost, but a cast remains). Thus, if Aspidella in the loose sense turns out to be an assemblage of more or less related taxa, the genus name would apply only to the smallish ellipsoid specimens. Regardless of its ultimate classification, because it has been classified as either an animal, or a plant (alga), or a fungus (lichen), the name Aspidella is covered by both Codes of Nomenclature, and this prevents adoption of a later homonym "Aspidella" (Gilbert 1940) for a group of extant mushrooms, now renamed Saproamanita. Occurrence Other places where Aspidella specimens are found is the Bonavista Peninsula and Mistaken Point in Newfoundland, the Twitya Formation in British Columbia, and central North Carolina. Aspidella fossils are found from , with putative representatives dating to . See also List of Ediacaran genera References External links Ediacaran life Incertae sedis Ediacaran Canada Taxa named