Trypanoporida is an extinct order of encrusting animals within Class
Tentaculita
Tentaculita is an extinct class of uncertain placement ranging from the Early Ordovician to the Middle Jurassic. They were suspension feeders with a near worldwide distribution. For a more thorough discussion, see ''Tentaculites''.
The presenc ...
, which were common in
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
oceans (Weedon, 1991). Their affinity is unknown; they have been placed among worms and corals. They appear to be closely related to other taxa of uncertain affinity, including the
microconchids,
cornulitid
Cornulitida is an extinct order of encrusting animals from class Tentaculita, which were common around the globe in the Ordovician to Devonian oceans, and survived until the Carboniferous.
The organisms had shells, and were subject to predation ...
s, and
tentaculitid
Tentaculita is an extinct class of uncertain placement ranging from the Early Ordovician to the Middle Jurassic. They were suspension feeders with a near worldwide distribution. For a more thorough discussion, see ''Tentaculites''.
The presenc ...
s. Spirally coiled trypanoporids (
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
) were most likely derived from the geologically older
microconchids (Late
Ordovician
The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start ...
).
References
* Weedon, M.J. 1991. Microstructure and affinity of the enigmatic Devonian tubular fossil ''Trypanopora''. Lethaia 24:227-234.
Tentaculita
Devonian animals
Late Devonian animals
Devonian first appearances
Devonian extinctions
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