Bangiomorpha pubescens is a red algae.[1]It is the first known sexually reproducing organism. A multicellular fossil of Bangiomorpha pubescens was recovered from the Hunting Formation in Somerset Island, Canada that strongly resembles the modern red alga Bangia despite occurring in rocks dating to 1,047 million years ago, during the Stenian period.[2]This fossil of a type of red alga is the oldest example of an organism belonging to an extant phylum. The fossil includes differentiated reproductive cells that are the oldest evidence of sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction increased genetic variation, which led to an increased rate of evolution and the diversification of eukaryotes.[citation needed]
| Bangiomorpha Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| (unranked): | Archaeplastida |
| Division: | Rhodophyta |
| Class: | Bangiophyceae |
| Order: | Bangiales |
| Family: | Bangiaceae |
| Genus: | †Bangiomorpha Butterfield |
| Species: | †B. pubescens |
| Binomial name | |
| †Bangiomorpha pubescens Butterfield | |