- Cothurnocystis
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Cothurnocystis Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Echinodermata Class: Homalozoa Subclass: Stylophora Order: Cornuta Family: Cothurnocystidae Subfamily: Cothurnocystinae Genus: Cothurnocystis
Bather, 1913Species: †C. fellinensis (Ubachs 1969)
†C. elizaeCothurnocystis along with all of its relatives in Stylophora, are enigmatic organisms whose relationship with other organisms, namely the Echinodermata and the Chordata, are in a state of flux. It was boot-shaped and has been suspected to have contained a primitive notochord. Some scientists consider the Stylophora to be a group of primitive chordates, calling them the "Calcichordata." The notochord would have been in the tail and was very basic in its structure. The most common hypothesis is that it was related to echinoderms, as the structure of the test were similar in structure and material to echinoderms. In the top of the boot where a foot would go seems to be the feeding apparatus, with the anus opposite, but the study of these species is vague.
References
D.Lambert, D.Naish and E.Wyse 2001, "Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and prehistoric life", p.32, Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. ISBN 0-7513-0955-9
External links
- Fossil Gallery
- Stylophora from palaeos
- Markkos taxonomy
- http://www.ayrshirehistory.org.uk/girvangeologists/Cothurnocystis.gif image
- http://www.geo-tools.com/Images/Gallery/Fossil/Big/041.jpg image
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/arturordoviciano/ordser2_arquivos/image007.jpg&date=2009-10-26+04:13:47 image
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