''Pulchratia'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of brachiopods which lived in marine habitats during the

Upper Carboniferous Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those ...

period. Its fossils have been found in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Description

Like other echinoconchids, ''Pulchratia'' had recumbent spines arranged in irregular concentric bands, with the spines of this genus being mostly uniform in size and not having strong bases. It also has long lateral ridges which diverge from the hinge line. In these conditions it differs from the related '' Parajuresania'', which has thicker posterior spines than anterior spines, and short cardinal ridges that parallel the hinge line, but otherwise the two genera are very similar. The buttress plates of ''Pulchratia'' are convergent, weak or entirely lost in adult specimens, while the lateral ridges are slightly divergent from the

hinge A hinge is a mechanical bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation: all other ...

Distribution

Fossil remains of ''Pulchratia'' are not known outside of North America, suggesting the genus may have been endemic to the continent. Remains of ''Pulchratia picuris'' have been found in the

Watahomigi Formation The Watahomigi Formation is a geologic formation in the Grand Canyon region of Arizona. It preserves fossils dating back to the Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years ...

of Arizona, and those of ''Pulchratia symmetrica'' are known from the Graham Formation of Texas and

Mattoon Formation The Mattoon Formation is a geologic formation in Illinois. It preserves fossils dating back to the Carboniferous period. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Illinois This article contains a list of fossil-bearing stratigraph ...

of Illinois. Fossils from the Holder Formation of New Mexico have been assigned to ''Pulchratia aff. meeki''. Specimens attributed to ''Pulchratia sp.'' have been collected from the

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

, Sausbee, and Takhandit formations of Kentucky, Oklahoma and Alaska respectively.

Classification

Muir-Wood & Cooper (1960) placed ''Pulchratia'' in the subfamily Echinoconchinae as they believed it lacked buttress plates. However Lazarev (1982) noted that the genus did indeed possess buttress plates as a juvenile at least, and transferred it into Juresaniinae. Leighton & Maples (2002) conducted multiple phylogenetic analyses which are strongly in agreement that the four subfamilies Buxtoniinae, Echinoconchinae, Pustulinae and Juresaniinae form the family Echinoconchidae, with Juresaniinae represented by ''Pulchratia'' and '' Parajuresania''. The cladogram results of their phylogenetic analyses are displayed in the cladogram below:

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q122834927 Paleozoic animals Productida Prehistoric brachiopod genera