''Favosites'' is an extinct genus of

tabulate coral Tabulata, commonly known as tabulate corals, are an order of extinct forms of coral. They are almost always colonial, forming colonies of individual hexagonal cells known as corallites defined by a skeleton of calcite, similar in appearance to ...

characterized by polygonal closely packed

corallite A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp sits and into which it can retract. The cup is composed of aragonite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, and is secreted by the polyp. Corallit ...

s (giving it the common name "honeycomb coral"). The walls between corallites are pierced by pores known as mural pores which allowed transfer of nutrients between polyps. ''Favosites'', like many corals, thrived in warm sunlit seas, feeding by filtering microscopic plankton with their stinging tentacles and often forming part of reef complexes. The genus had a worldwide distribution from the

Late Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. The ...

Late Permian Late may refer to: * LATE, an acronym which could stand for: ** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia ** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law ** Local average treatment effect, ...

Distribution

''Favosites'' had a vast distribution, and its fossils can be found on every continent (except

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

Species

The following species of ''Favosites'' have been described:''Favosites''
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...

.org * ''F. abnormis'' * ''F. adaverensis'' * ''F. afghanicus'' * ''F. antiquus'' * ''F. bowerbanki'' * ''F. burkhanensis'' * ''F. desolatus'' * ''F. exilis'' * ''F. fallax'' * ''F. favosiformis'' * ''F. favosus'' * ''F. fusiforme'' * ''F. goldfussi'' (Lecompte, 1939), from the

Emsian The Emsian is one of three faunal stages in the Early Devonian Epoch. It lasted from 407.6 ± 2.6 million years ago to 393.3 ± 1.2 million years ago. It was preceded by the Pragian Stage and followed by the Eifelian Stage. It is named after the ...

Eifelian The Eifelian is the first of two faunal stages in the Middle Devonian Epoch. It lasted from 393.3 ± 1.2 million years ago to 387.7 ± 0.8 million years ago. It was preceded by the Emsian Stage and followed by the Givetian Stage. North American s ...

and

Givetian The Givetian is one of two faunal stages in the Middle Devonian Period. It lasted from million years ago to million years ago. It was preceded by the Eifelian Stage and followed by the Frasnian Stage. It is named after the town of Givet in Fra ...

of the

Holy Cross Mountains Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

, is known to be parasitized by ''

Chaetosalpinx ''Chaetosalpinx'' is an ichnogenus of bioclaustrations (a type of trace fossil). ''Chaetosalpinx'' includes straight to sinuous cavities that are parallel to the host's axis of growth. The cavity is circular to oval in cross-section and it lacks ...

''. * ''F. gothlandicus'' * ''F. hisingeri'' * ''F. ingens'' * ''F. intricatus'' * ''F. issensis'' * ''F. jaaniensis'' * ''F. kalevi'' * ''F. lichenarioides'' * ''F. mirandus'' * ''F. multicarinatus'' * ''F. oculiporoides'' * ''F. permica'' * ''F. petropolitana'' * ''F. praemaximus'' * ''F. privatus'' * ''F. serratus'' * ''F. sphaericus'' (Počta, 1902) from the lower Blue Fiord and Disappointment Bay formations of

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 ...

Canada. * ''F. subfavosus'' * ''F. subforbesi''

Gallery

File:FavositesThinSection.jpg, Sagittal cross-section of ''Favosites'', showing communication pores between the corallites.
Upper Ordovician of southern Indiana File:Favosites goldfussi.jpg, alt=, ''Favosites goldfussi'' fossil at Natural History Museum,

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

References

Tabulata Prehistoric Anthozoa genera Silurian animals of North America Permian animals of North America Carboniferous animals of North America Devonian animals of North America Ordovician animals of North America Silurian animals of Asia Permian animals of Asia Devonian animals of Asia Ordovician animals of Asia Devonian animals of Africa Devonian animals of Australia Permian animals of Australia Silurian animals of Australia Devonian animals of South America Silurian animals of South America Silurian animals of Europe Carboniferous animals of Europe Devonian animals of Europe Ordovician animals of Europe Fossils of Georgia (U.S. state) Fossils of Afghanistan Silurian Argentina Fossils of Argentina Fossils of Australia Fossils of Austria Fossils of Belarus Fossils of Belgium Fossils of Canada Fossils of China Devonian Colombia Fossils of Colombia Fossils of the Czech Republic Fossils of Estonia Fossils of France Fossils of Germany Fossils of Greenland Fossils of India Fossils of Indonesia Fossils of Iran Fossils of Italy Fossils of Japan Fossils of Kazakhstan Fossils of Kyrgyzstan Fossils of Laos Fossils of Lithuania Fossils of Malaysia Fossils of Mongolia Fossils of Morocco Fossils of New Zealand Fossils of Norway Fossils of Pakistan Silurian Paraguay Fossils of Paraguay Fossils of Russia Fossils of Saudi Arabia Fossils of South Africa Fossils of Spain Fossils of Sweden Fossils of Tajikistan Fossils of Thailand Fossils of Ukraine Fossils of Great Britain Fossils of the United States Fossils of Uzbekistan Fossils of Venezuela Fossils of Vietnam Floresta Formation Late Ordovician first appearances Permian genus extinctions Jeffersonville Limestone Paleontology in New Jersey Paleozoic life of Ontario Paleozoic life of British Columbia Paleozoic life of Manitoba Paleozoic life of New Brunswick Paleozoic life of the Northwest Territories Paleozoic life of Nunavut Paleozoic life of Quebec Paleozoic life of Yukon Fossil taxa described in 1816 {{paleo-hexacorallia-stub