Phyllograptus

Phyllograptus
Temporal range: Early Ordovician
Phyllograptus species
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Hemichordata
Class: Pterobranchia
Subclass: Graptolithina
Order: †Graptoloidea
Family: †Phyllograptidae
Genus: †Phyllograptus
Hall, 1858

Phyllograptus is a graptolite genus of the order Graptoloidea, in the family Tetragraptidae.

Fossils of this genus have been found in the Early Ordovician (475-473 million years ago), in the sediments of Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and United States.

The normal length of a colony of these leaf-shaped animals could reach a length of 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in). They were passively mobile planktonic suspension feeders.

Phyllograptus species are excellent index fossils or guide fossils for identifying Ordovician rocks.

Species

References

  1. 1 2 "Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  2. ↑ Fossil Museum
  3. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica
  4. ↑ Fossil ID