Abstract

Vendobiont type fossils are characterized by possessing ‘gliding symmetry’, in which quilts of the different vanes consisting the body of the Vendobionta meet along the seam with small offset. Because two, three or more vanes are joined along this seam and the quilts of different vanes can be variously offset along the seam, a variety of gliding symmetry exists among Vendobionta. Our theoretical consideration here predicts that the number of possible gliding symmetry is one, two and three for organisms having two, three and four vanes, respectively. We also predict that a special combination of morphological types appear alternatively during the growth of the Vendobionta with two vanes. Further, we were able to identify the existence of two types in gliding symmetry predicted by us for Pteridinium specimens with three vanes. Detailed examination of the gliding symmetry of other Vendobionta, therefore, may give important clues in solving riddles veiling the vendobiont relationships.