Article
Article
Rhynchonelliformea
Article By:
Carlson, Sandra J. Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California.
Last reviewed:August 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.053100
One of three subphyla currently recognized in the phylum Brachiopoda, a clade of lophophore-bearing protostome metazoan animals. The name Rhynchonelliformea is derived from the stratigraphically oldest subclade with extant representatives, the order Rhynchonellida (Fig. 1). Rhynchonelliforms constitute over 90% of the more than 4500 named brachiopod genera, most of which (over 95%) are extinct. Rhynchonelliformea includes all taxa formerly referred to the class Articulata, in addition to several groups newly discovered as fossils, formerly placed in class Inarticulata, or of uncertain taxonomic affiliation. Living members of the Rhynchonelliformea are monophyletic, as confirmed by molecular and morphological data. Phylogenetic relationships among the basal, extinct rhynchonelliforms (Fig. 1) are currently being evaluated. See also: Brachiopoda; Rhynchonellida
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
