''Rhabdopleura'' is a

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 colonial

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

hemichordate Hemichordata is a phylum which consists of triploblastic, enterocoelomate, and bilaterally symmetrical marine deuterostome animals, generally considered the sister group of the echinoderms. They appear in the Lower or Middle Cambrian and includ ...

s belonging to the

Pterobranchia Pterobranchia is a class of small worm-shaped animals. They belong to the Hemichordata, and live in secreted tubes on the ocean floor. Pterobranchia feed by filtering plankton out of the water with the help of cilia attached to tentacles. The ...

class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the

Middle Cambrian Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek (di ...

, it is also considered to be the only living

graptolite Graptolites are a group of colonial animals, members of the subclass Graptolithina within the class Pterobranchia. These filter-feeding Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and ...

s. ''Rhabdopleura'' is the best studied

pterobranch Pterobranchia is a Class (biology), class of small worm-shaped animals. They belong to the Hemichordata, and live in secretion, secreted tubes on the ocean floor. Pterobranchia feed by filtering plankton out of the water with the help of cilia a ...

developmental biology Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of Regeneration (biology), regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis, and the growth and di ...

. Research in the 2010s by Jörg Maletz and other paleontologists and biologists have demonstrated that ''Rhabdopleura'' is an extant

Species

List of species from Maletz (2014): ;Living species The genus ''Rhabdopleura'' contains at least five living species. * ''

Rhabdopleura annulata ''Rhabdopleura annulata'' is a sessile hemichordate. It is a suspension feeder that secretes tubes on the ocean floor. Distribution It is found in the Indo-Pacific region, off the coasts of Indonesia, South Australia, Tasmania ) , nickna ...

'' Norman 1921 — Indo-Pacific region * '' Rhabdopleura compacta'' Hincks 1880 — Atlantic * ''

Rhabdopleura normani ''Rhabdopleura normani'' is a small, marine species of worm-shaped animal known as a pterobranch. It is a sessile suspension feeder, lives in clear water, and secretes tubes on the ocean floor. Description This species grows in colonies. Each ...

'' Allmann, 1869 — Atlantic and parts of the Pacific * ''

Rhabdopleura recondita ''Rhabdopleura recondita'' is a sessile hemichordate. It is a suspension feeder that secretes tubes on the ocean floor. It is found in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Distribution Specimens of ''R. recondita'' were collected off the coast of Le ...

'' Beli, Cameron and Piraino, 2018 — Mediterranean * ''

Rhabdopleura striata ''Rhabdopleura striata'' is a sessile hemichordate. It is a suspension feeder that secretes tubes on the ocean floor. The zooid A zooid or zoöid is a single animal that is part of a colonial animal. This lifestyle has been adopted by an ...

'' Schepotieff 1909 — Pacific (

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

) ;''

Nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

'' (doubtful) * ''

Rhabdopleura grimaldi ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Julien 1890 nomen dubium * ''

Rhabdopleura manubialis ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Jullien & Calvet 1903 nomen dubium ;Extinct species: * †''

Rhabdopleura delmari ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Mortelmans 1955 * †''

Rhabdopleura graysoni ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Chapman, Durman & Rickards 1995 * †''

Rhabdopleura hollandi ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Rickards, Chapman & Temple 1984 * †''

Rhabdopleura kozlowskii ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Kulicki 1969 * †''

Rhabdopleura obuti ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Durman & Sennikov 1993 * †''

Rhabdopleura sinica ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Chapman, Durman & Rickards 1995 * †''

Rhabdopleura vistulae ''Rhabdopleura'' is a genus of colonial sessile hemichordates belonging to the Pterobranchia class. As one of the oldest living genera with a fossil record dating back to the Middle Cambrian, it is also considered to be the only living genus of ...

'' Kozlowski 1956

Fossil record

The

fossil record A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

for ''Rhabdopleura'' dates back to the

. There are also ''Rhabdopleura'' fossils from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

.A.J. Chapman; P.N. Durman; R.B. Rickards. 1995
Rhabdopleuran hemichordates: new fossil forms and review
''Proceedings of the Geologists' Association'' Volume 106, Issue 4, 1995, Pages 293-303.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2808627 Graptolites Hemichordate genera Extant Cambrian first appearances *