Didazoon haoae is an extinct species of vetulicolid vetulicolian described by Shu, et al. based on fossils found in the Qiongzhusi (Chiungchussu) Formation, Yu'anshan Member (Eoredlichia zone), Lower Cambrian, in the Dabanqiao area (Kunming), about 60 km northwest of Chengjiang, China.
[2] The fossils show that the body of the animal was covered in a thin, flexible cuticle.
The constriction between the anterior and posterior parts of the animal shows creasing, and the authors hypothesize that it was quite flexible.
The authors also identify a dark strand on the lower interior surface of the anterior section, which they speculate is an endostyle.
[1] Didazoon is the type genus of the Didazoonidae, which one 2024 study has found to be a paraphyletic grade of the vetulicolians closest to crownward chordates as shown in this simplified cladogram,[3] which labels Vetulicolidae based on a 2018 phylogeny[4] and Didazoonidae based on the Paleobiology Database:[5] Banffia† Heteromorphus† Skeemella† Nesonektris† Vetulicolidae† Didazoon† Pomatrum† Yuyuanozoon† Yunnanozoon† Cathaymyrus† Pikaia† Chordata(crown group) An earlier study in 2014 place vetulicolians as the sister-group to tunicates, but was unable to resolve any relationships among vetulicolians as a group:[6] Vetulicola† Beidazoon† Ooedigera† Pomatrum† / Xidazoon† Didazoon† Yuyuanozoon† Banffia† Heteromorphus† Nesonektris† Tunicata