Article
Article
Silicoflagellata
Article By:
Jones, Daniel J. Department of Earth Sciences, California State College, Bakersfield, California.
Last reviewed:June 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.622900
A class of marine planktonic chromists. Their skeletons are composed of hollow, siliceous rods and resemble those of the Radiolaria, with which they have been grouped. They are usually subpyramidal or hemispherical in shape, delicately filigreed, and range in size from 10 to 150 micrometers (see illustration). Two families and 11 genera of silicoflagellates have been described from siliceous sedimentary rocks ranging in age from the early Cretaceous to Recent, in association with abundant diatoms and siliceous sponge spicules; however, this may change pending systematic revision. One genus, Dictyocha, lives in the ocean today. See also: Chrysophyceae; Micropaleontology; Phytoplankton
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