Sphenothallus
Extinct genus of aquatic animals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sphenothallus is a problematic extinct genus lately attributed to the conulariids. It was widespread in shallow marine environments during the Paleozoic.[2][4]
| Sphenothallus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sphenothallus holdfast from the Kope Formation (Upper Ordovician), Gunpowder Creek, Kentucky. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Order: | †Conulatae |
| Clade: | †Conulariida |
| Genus: | †Sphenothallus Hall, 1847 |
Occurrence
Sphenothallus is represented in the Cambrian period in the Kaili biota and the Mount Stephen trilobite beds, where it co-occurs with the similar organisms Cambrorhythium and Byronia.[1] It is known in younger strata in Canada and the US, surviving at least until the Mississippian.[3]
Ecology
Sphenothallus lived in groups as an opportunist in environments from hardgrounds to soft mud, even if depleted in oxygen.[3] It probably dispersed via larvae.[3]
Notes
- Earliest, upper Lower Cambrian (Van Iten et al 2002); latest, not referenced; at least to Mississippian