''Theelia'' 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 ...

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothuria ...

s that existed from 312 to 40.4 million years ago ( Middle Pennsylvanian to the

Lutetian The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Midd ...

age).

Fossil 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 ...

sclerite A sclerite (Greek , ', meaning "hard") is a hardened body part. In various branches of biology the term is applied to various structures, but not as a rule to vertebrate anatomical features such as bones and teeth. Instead it refers most commonly ...

s of ''Theelia'' are found worldwide.

Taxonomy

Numerous

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are assigned to the genus ''Theelia'', they include the following: * †'' Theelia alta'' Speckmann 1968 * †'' Theelia alveata'' Mostler and Rahimi-Yazd 1976 * †'' Theelia anguinea'' Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia conglobata'' Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia convexa'' Whidborne 1883 * †'' Theelia crassidentata'' Deflandre-Rigaud 1950 * †'' Theelia dentata'' Górka and Luszczewska 1969 * †'' Theelia doreckae'' Kozur and Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia dzhulfaensis'' Mostler and Rahimi-Yazd 1976 * †'' Theelia fastigata'' Mostler 1972 * †'' Theelia fissa'' Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia florida'' Frizzell and Exline 1955 * †'' Theelia guembeli'' Kristan-Tollmann 1963 * †'' Theelia heptalampra'' (Bartenstein, 1936) * †'' Theelia hexacneme'' Summerson and Campbell 1958 * †'' Theelia immisorbicula'' Mostler 1968 * †'' Theelia koeveskalensis'' Kozur and Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia kutscheri'' Reich, 2003 * †'' Theelia lanceolata'' (Schlumberger, 1890) * †'' Theelia lata'' Kozur and Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia latimarginata'' Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia liptovskaensis'' Gazdzicki et al. 1978 * †'' Theelia mesopermiana'' Kozur and Mostler 1989 * †'' Theelia monicae'' Mostler and Rahimi-Yazd 1976 * †'' Theelia mortenseni'' (Deflandre-Rigaud, 1951) * †'' Theelia multiplex'' Speckmann 1968 * †'' Theelia norica'' Mostler 1969 * †'' Theelia petasiformis'' Kristan-Tolmann 1964 * †'' Theelia planata'' Mostler 1968 * †'' Theelia polydenticulata'' Mostler and Parwin 1973 * †'' Theelia praeacuta'' Mostler and Rahimi-Yazd 1976 * †'' Theelia praenorica'' Kozur and Mock 1972 * †'' Theelia praeseniradiata'' Kozur and Mock 1972 * †'' Theelia pseudoplanata'' Kozur and Mock 1972 * †'' Theelia seniradiata'' Zankl 1966 * †'' Theelia serta'' Speckmann 1968 * †'' Theelia sinaiensis'' Said and Barakat 1958 * †'' Theelia speciosa'' (Deflandre-Rigaud, 1946) * †'' Theelia staurolithensis'' Kristan-Tolmann 1972 * †'' Theelia stellifera'' Zankl 1966 * †'' Theelia synapta'' Gilliland 1992 * †'' Theelia teneromarginata'' Mostler 1971 * †'' Theelia terquemi'' (Deflandre-Rigaud, 1951) * †'' Theelia trammeri'' Gazdzicki et al. 1978 * †'' Theelia undata'' Mostler 1968 * †'' Theelia undulata'' (Schlumberger, 1890) * †'' Theelia variabilis'' Zankl 1966 * †'' Theelia wartensis'' Garbowska and Wierzbowski 1967 * †'' Theelia zawidzkae'' Kozur and Mock 1972

References

Chiridotidae Prehistoric sea cucumber genera Pennsylvanian first appearances Lutetian extinctions {{paleo-holothuroidea-stub