Burlingiidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Burlingiidae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | †Trilobita |
| Order: | †incertae sedis |
| Family: | †Burlingiidae Walcott, 1908 |
| Genera | |
| |
The Burlingiidae constitute a family of trilobites of uncertain affinity, that lived during the Middle to lowest Upper Cambrian (Acadoparadoxides pinus- to Agnostus pisiformis-zone). Burlingiids have a cosmopolitan distribution, can be found in deposits that originate from outside the continental shelves, and may have been planktonic. They are characterized by their oval shape, small size (less than 1 centimetre or 0.39 inches), proparian sutures, and non-functional articulations of the thorax. Uniquely the anterior borders of the pleura are raised, and there are between 8 and 15 thorax segments. Burlingiid trilobites have been found in Norway, Sweden, Northern Siberia, Eastern and South-eastern China, Australia (Tasmania), India (Himalayas) and the United Kingdom.
