Phyllograptus
Genus of marine worm-like animals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Phyllograptus is a graptolite genus of the order Graptoloidea, in the family Tetragraptidae.
| Phyllograptus Temporal range: Early Ordovician | |
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| Phyllograptus species | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Hemichordata |
| Class: | Pterobranchia |
| Subclass: | Graptolithina |
| Order: | †Graptoloidea |
| Family: | †Tetragraptidae |
| Genus: | †Phyllograptus Hall, 1858 |
Fossils of this genus have been found in the Early Ordovician (475-473 million years ago), in the sediments of Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and United States.[1]
The normal length of a colony of these leaf-shaped animals could reach a length of 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in). They were passively mobile planktonic suspension feeders.[1][2]
Phyllograptus species are excellent index fossils or guide fossils for identifying Ordovician rocks.[3]
Species
- Phyllograptus angustifolius
- Phyllograptus anna
- Phyllograptus densus
- Phyllograptus glossograptoides
- Phyllograptus rotundatus
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